.uf^^'^'J 




' ^J|4 °'-o/ :$§:■■ '\./ 0ik: ''^ -» v**' ;M j^ '"'■^^-Z A 



'^v p^ t^' -v^^ 



i-. •^^<\^ 






< . 






r: 












"..v-^ .''C-'f-' ^-'O^ 



:r.---y \--^^.\# ^•-:?-';^-'/ \--^r.v^ ^', ■•••■■ 



.o/r 






y^ 



r 






'^^: 











< *NNU*L flEPOBT Pl_ 



^L\P 



N 



NORTnvvi-:s'n':i w ai ,as k.\ 

Showingthe region knownto the Point Barrow Eskimo 
BtLsciton the C.S i;„isi >> (:<■„,/, ■nr Sll|■r,■^■ 
/>uif> of Alaska. /SSkii'r/i ludlitunts /}v,„i iJ,i' I' S (' sC. 
Generai Chart of Aituslui /HH9,a,u/ Ihnn Esh,,,,,, <,,r,„i„ 
Eskunoriwnesgii-en in tlic t'orni iiscut at I'tniii lUirivv 
Names of " tribes" underUi ted thus KCmiJi 




ETUN(11,()(UCA1. ItKSI'l.TS 

POINT BAIIROW EXPEDITION 



JOHN MUKJ)t)CH. 

.\iitiirnlixt mill Ohsirirr, Iiifiriiiiiiiniiil I'nliir E. 
I'liiiil Hinroir. Aliixkii. 1SS1-1.\S:I. 



CONTHNTS. 



Page. 

Introduction I'' 

List of works consulted 20 

.Situation and surroundings -t> 

Climate '^ 

People •^•' 

Physical cliaracteristics •<3 

Pathology 3!l 

Psychical characteristics -^^ 

Tribal iiheuomena '- 

Social surroundings '"' 

Contact -nith uncivil ized people 

Other Eskimo 

Indians 

Contact with civilized people 

Natural resources 

Animals 

Mammals 

Birds 

Fishes f 

Insects and other invertebrates '-^^ 

Plants ^•' 

Minerals ' 

Cnltnre 

Means of subsistence "" 

Vond '51 

61 



43 



56 



Substances used for food 

Means of preparing food "•' 

Time and fre(|uency of eating °' 

Drinks *^_ 

Narcotics - ■ ■ .;' 

Habitations '_-^ 

The winter house '' 

Arrangement in villages '• 

Snow houses 

Tents ^. 

Household utensils ' 

For holding and carrying fooil, water, etc ^'; 

Canteens 

"•='"^^--^" :::::::;:::::;:::::;::: I 



Huckets and tubs 

^^-"->-,- ::::: Z 

For preparing tood 

Pots of stoue and other materials ^^ 

Bone crushers '" 

For serving and eating food ^j^ 



, 101 

Drinking vessels 



Whalebone cups 



CONTENTS. 

Page. 



Spoons :hi(1 ludles 

Miscolluiu'ons houspliold utensils 



Mantlvs 121 

Wai„lrn.ks 122 

Ann (L.thnif; 123 

Mitl.n. 123 

,;l„,,., 124 

].v>i .nul Inol c-lotliuif;- 125 

K,v,-,1„-. 125 



H.,„ts:,nasl,o,.s 129 

I'Mrrsor.hv.. 135 

|i,.l,s 135 

OrnanwMts 138 

Personal ailornnumt 138 

Skin ornanicntation 138 

Tattooing 138 

PaiutiuK IW 

Heart ornaments 110 

Method of wearing the hair 140 

Head hands '. 112 

Ear rings 142 

Lahrets 113 

Neck ornaments 118 

Ornaments of the limbs 148 

Bracelets 148 

Finger rings 149 

Miscellaiic.,ns onianimts 149 

Beads 149 

Toilet art 'u-\<-> 149 

Implements ..I' g.'iiiTal nse, etc 150 

Tools 150 

Knives 150 



liows 195 

Arrows 201 



CONTENTS. 7 

Cultnic— ('(.ntiiuir,!. l\,p,. 

Bc;ir iiiTdWs _ -202 

Biiw i-;iscH and quivers ^!(l7 

Bnu-.Ts 2(iil 

Bird (Urts 210 

Seal darts 211 

Harpoons -Jis 

Thrustin- weaiions S.V.i 

Harpoons -ill 

Lauces 2 Id 

Throwing weapons 211 

Hunting iiuplemeuts otlier than weapons 24U 

Floats 21(! 

Flipper toggles 217 

Harpoon boxes 217 

Nets 251 

Seal calls 25;{ 



Whalebone wolf-killers 
Traps 

Snow-goggles 

Meat cache markers. . .. 



The tbx 

The reindeer 

The seal 

The whale 

Fowl 

Ini]ilenieiits for lishing , 
llooksandlines.... 



Klinl 



Flint and steel 

Kindlings 

V and arrow making 



-r setter -■•■* 

2!I4 



Combs for deer skins 

.Manui'actnre of lines of thong . . 
Builders' tools 

For e.xcavating 

Tools for snow and ice working 

Snow knives 



310 



g CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Culn.r.-C..ntn.m..l. ^p. 

S„ows^K.veU ^^. 

^^" •"'■•''* :;::: sos 

lee s<i)ops „ _ 

Imploincuts for procnrinR and prepiiring food 

Blubber books 

Kish sealer 

Makiug and working fiber • 

Twisting. 'ma braiding ^^^ 

Nctti"K o,;^ 

Netting weights ' 

Weaving ^16 

Sowing 

Means of locomotion and transportation ^-'^ 

Trivelin" bv water 3-*^ 

Kaiaks and paddles •*^^ 

Umiaks and fittings f^" 

Traveling on foot ^^ 

Snow-shoes ^'^^ 

Staff 35i 

Land conreyauces ^^"^ 

Sledges.." f^; 

Dogs and harness ^'■^' 

Hunting scores ^^^ 

Games and pastimes "'"■' 

Gambling ^^^ 

Festivals ^f 

Mechanical contrivances 37: 

Description of festivals 3i: 

Toys and sports for children and others 37( 

Playthings 371 

Dolls 381 

Juvenile implements 38. 

Games and sports 38: 

Music 38: 

Musical instruments 38; 

Character and fre(£Uency of music » 38 

Art 38 

Domestic life ■*! 

Marriage 41 

Standing and treatment of women 11 

( 'l.ildrcn -11 

Kights and wrongs -11 

Social life und customs '^- 

rer.soiial habits and cleanliness -1:^ 

Salutation « 

lIcMin- 4i 

CustoMisii.nc.-rning the dead i'- 

.VbstcMtinns... 41 

Mauner of disi)osing of tlie dead i- 

(iovernment 4i 

In the fan.il y 4l 

In the village 41 



4- 



LI ST RAT IONS 



1. Map iif XortUwestiTn Al;i,sk:i 2 

II. Map of the huntiiifj gnimids of the I'diiit Harrow Kskiiiio 18 

1. I'ualiua, a man of XuvMik M 

2. Mumflniua, a woman ol' Xiiwftk 3.". 

3. Akabiaua, a youtli of ("tkiavwin :W 

4. Puka, a yoimg- man of Ftkiavwin 37 

5. Woman stretching skins :iX 

6. Pipes: («) pipe with metal bowl; (b) pipe with stone l.o%yl; (r) pijie 

with bowl of antler or ivory •>" 

7. Pipe made of willow stiek 68 

8. Tobacco pomhes 'iit 

9. Plans of Eskimo wintet house 72 

10. Interior of igln, looking toward door 73 

11. Interior of iglu. looking toward bench 74 

12. Honse in Utkiavwin 7<; 

13. Groiiud plan and section of winter honse in Mackenzie region 77 

14. Gromid jdau of large snow house '*2 

15. Tent on the beach at Utkiavwin X") 

16. Wooden bucket '<<' 

17. Large tub '<7 

18. Whalebone dish >*« 

19. Meat-bowl ^^i' 

20. Stone pot "0 

21. Small stone pot •'• 

22. Fragments of pottery ■'- 

23. Stone maul iW 

24. Stone maul "' 

25. Stone maul •' 

26. St(me maul ■ 

27. Stone maul '"' 

28. Stone maul. . - - ^^ 

29. Bone maul "^ 

30. Hone maul •'' 

31. Hone maul "** 

32. Bone maul ■ '^ 

33.Meat-dish "" 

34. Oblong meat-dish 1"" 

3.5. Oblong met.t-dish. very o!,l 1™> 

36. Fish dish ^"*' 

37. Whalebone cup »" 

38. Horn dipper "^' 

39. Horn dipper \^ 

40. Dipper of fossil ivory "'^ 



10 ILLUSTRAnONS. 

Page. 

Fit;. 11. Dippt-r (if fossil ivory 103 

■l-J. Wood.n si.oon 104 

4X IIoiii ladlr 104 

44. Hon.- laiUf 104 

4,".. UdiU' laill<- 111 till- form of a wliale 105 

4ti. Hone laiU.- 105 

47. Stoii.. lioiisi-laiii|i 10(5 

■IK .SaiKisfoiK^ laiiiii 107 

49. Travoling lam|i ' 108 

.-)0. .Soi-k.-t for liliil.ber holder 108 

.")1. Man ill ordinary deerskin clothe.s 110 

.52. Woman's hood . Ill 

-,H. Man's Irork 113 

fvl. rattern of man's deerskin frock 113 

i>5. Detail of t rimming, skirt and shoulder of man's frock 114 

yfi. Man wearing plain, heary frock 114 

57. Man's frock of mountain sheepskin, front and back 115 

58. Man's frock of ermine skins 116 

ni). I'attern of sheepskin frock 117 

60. Pattern of ermine frock 117 

61. Woman's frock, front and back 118 

C,2. Pattern of woman's frock 119 

63. Detail ol' edging, woman's frock 119 

64. Details of frininiing, woman's frock 119 

65. Man's cloak of deerskin 121 

66. Pattern of man's cloak 121 

67. Deer.skiu mittens 123 

68. Deerskin gloves 124 

69. Man's breeches of deerskin 125 

70. Pattern of man's breeches 126 

71 . Trimming of man's breeches 126 

72. Woman's pantah)ons 127 

73. Patterns of woman's jiantaloons 128 

74. Pattern of stocking 129 

75. Man's boot of deerskin 131 

76. Pattern of deerskin boot 131 

77. Man's dress boot of deerskin 132 

78. Pattern of man's dress boot of deerskin 132 

79. .Man's dress boot of skin of mountain sheep 133 

80. Pair of man's dress hoots of deerskin 134 

81. Woman's waterproof sealskin boot 135 

82. .Sketch of "ice-creepers" on boot sole 135 

83. Man's belt woven of feathers 136 

84. Diagram sliow ing method of fastening the ends of feathers in belt . . 137 

85. WoiiKiii's lull of wolverine toes 137 

86. liclt-fastcncr Kjg 

87. Man with tattooed cheeks 139 

88. Woman witli ordinary tattooing 140 

89. Man's nictliod of wearing the hair 141 

90. Earrings 143 

91. Plug for enlarging labret hole 144 

92. Labret of beads and ivory 145 

93. Blue and white labret from Anderson River 146 

94. Obhmg labret of bone 147 

95. Oblong labret of soapstone 147 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



11 



l-agc. 

Fig. 96. Ancient lalnct I IK 

97. Bea.lR of an.lx-r II!" 

98. Hair c.ml.s l^o 

99. Slate knives i:.! 

100. Slate knife-l.la.lc- 1.5L' 

101. Slate knife 1^:^ 

102. Slate knife \y.i 

103. Slate hnnting-knife l.')l-' 

101. Blade of slate liiMit iiii;-kin fe I.'>3 

10.5. Large slate knife \y.i 

1(16. Large siagle-edgeil .slate knife l''>3 

107. Ulatles of knives l.''l 

lOK. Peculiar slate knife 1.>I 

109. Knife -n-ith whalebone blade l-"«."> 

110. Small iron knif.' l"w 

111. Small iron knives I'i6 

ni;. Iron hnnting knit\- "^6 

m. Large erooked knite 158 

111. Large crooked knife with slieatli Iy8 

11.-). Small crooked knives 159 

116. Crooked knife 159 

117. Crooked knives, Hint-ldaded 160 

11(<. Slate-ldaded crooked knives 161 

119. Woman's knife, steel Idade 161 

120. Woman's knife, shite Idad.- "•- 

121. Woman's knife, slate Idad,- I'i- 

122. Woman's knife, slate blade 162 

123. Woman's knife, slate Idad.' !•"'- 

124. Woman's ancient .slate-1, laded knife 16;i 

12.->. Ancient l.one liandlc for woman's knife - 1615 

126. Large knife of slate 1«:5 

127. Wonnm's knife of flaked flint ">;* 

128. Hiitehet hatted as an adz "'•'' 

129. Hat. diet hafte.l as an adz ^*^ 

130. Adz-h.a.l of .ja.li- "'' 

131. A.Iz-h.a.l ..f Jail.- 1*" 

132. Haited ja.l.- ad/ '"'^ 

133. Adz.-hea.l .d'ja.l.- an.l l..m.- ";» 

lai. Adz-hcail .if iMin.' an.l in.n. without eyes 1';'^ 

135. Adz-hi'a.l of li.>iie and lr..n. with vertical eyes 169 

136. A.lzdt..ad.,f hone and i,„n. with vertical eyes ..- 169 

137. Haft.-dh..ne an.l iron ad/ ^^ 

138. Hafted l.on.- an.l ston.- a.lz ^'J!^ 

139. .small a.lz-lda.le of green jad.- 1'" 

140. llaft.-d adz .d- hone and flint..... - '^ 

141. Ohl.-. r's adz, ndmfted ^1 

112. A.lz with hon.hla.h- 1" 

'«• Antler .hisel l] 

141. .Vn.l..r.h,sel :^ 

145. Spurhius t...d. dint l.lad.- "j' 

146. Whaleh.me shaM. slat.- Ida.h- '. 

147. Sawmad ' .h-..r's s.-ain.la l:! 

148. Sawma.leofacas.-knitV Ij! 

149. IS.nv drill ,1^ 



12 ILLUSTRATIONS. 



ir,2. Drill 1 



Page. 

177 

'' 177 

153. Drill l.n«>... 1'^* 

154. Spli.MMl ,lrill !..>«■ 178 

155. Drill M,null,,,i.-.- with iron so.ket 1™ 

15.;. Drill „i..ull ■.,. xvitl,,,,,, wi„j;s 179 

157. n,„».,...,n..-,l,h,ll : 179 

15S. li;„Mll.. l.„,l,,ll,„nls 180 

15!l. Fliut-bladc.l reamers....: 18^ 

160. Flint-bliulua reamers 182 

ItJl. AnvI 182 

1(12. .In.l,- w li.tst niies 183 

1,;:; .l;„|,. ^^ll.■lsl s 184 

l,;i. W 1,.„ t„„l-l,„x,-> 185 

1(!5. Larfje wixHlen tool-lioxcs 186 

IBC. Tool-bag of wolverine skin 187 

167. Tool-bag of wolverine skin 188 

168. Drills bebmging to tile tool-bag 189 

169. Comb fur .bcrskins ill tli,. tool-bag 189 

170. Uaghaiulbs 190 

171. Hag ot leather 190 

172. Little han.l-elub 191 

173. Sluugshot made of walrus jaw 191 

174. Dagger of bear's bone 192 

175. Bone daggers 192 

176. So-called dagger of bono 193 

177. Boy's bow from Utkiav win 196 

178. Loop at end of bowstring 197 

179. Large bow from Niiwuk 197 

180. Large bow from Sidaru 198 

181. Feathering of the Eskimo arrow 201 

182. Flint-headed arrow (knkiksadlTQ) 202 

183. Long flint pile 202 

184. Short flint pile . .- 202 

185. Heart-shaped flint jiile 203 

186. (n) Arrow with "after pile" (ipndligadlli-i ) ; {In arn.H xvitli ii.nipile 

(savidliri); (c) arrow with iron jiil.^ (savi.lliil ) ; {d) arrow with 

eopper pile (savidlin) ; (c) deer-arrow (nntkodliri) 203 

187. rile of deer arrow (nntkan) 205 

188. •• Kiinniiidlln " arrow idle 205 

189. («) Fowl .•iri..w itiigalifii: (/-) bird arrow (kixodwam) 206 

190. Bow ras.- an. I .|iiivrrs 208 

191. Quiver n.cl 209 

192. Cap for .inner ro,l 209 

193. Bracer 210 

194. Bracer of bone 210 

195. Bird dart 211 

1%. Foiiii IV. r bird ilart 212 

197. An.i.'iit jioint for bir.l dart 212 

198. Foiiil l..r 1.11.1 .1:1 n 213 

199. Bir.l .l:irt with ,i..iil.l.- |,..iiit 213 

200. Anci.iil iv..r,\ daii hea.l 214 

201. Bone.bul head 214 

202. Nozzle f(U- bladder float 215 

203. Seal dart 215 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 13 

Pni:.. 

Fig. 204. For.-Kliatt ul n.-mI .hirl L'17 

20.5. Thrnwhi;; IkmmI Inr, Inns 217 

206. Harp.M.ii lu-ad 2IK 

207. HariMMiii h,:..! 2l!l 

20(S. Auci.-Mt Im.ii,. h,ii|„„,u lir:Ml 2i:t 

209. («) Aii.iri,! I,.„„. li;np...,n lir:„l; (/<) variants „r I Ills lypf 221) 

210. Hon.- haipc I„ad 220 

211. Hour hai|i.M.„ li.:„l 220 

212. Harp..,, I, l„;,.l. I.,.,i.. aii.l ,sl...i.- 221 

213. Hari..>..ii li.a.l, l,..ii.- an. I si,,,..- 221 

214. Walrus I, ai|, s 224 

215. Typi.al ual,ns-l,:ni a. Is 22(i 

21fi. Tyi.i.al » .li ii. Iiai j, i li.a.ls 22(> 

217. Typi.-al walnis-liai i h, a.ls ._ 227 

218. Walrns-liaip i li.a.l. willi -l.a.l. r" 227 

219. Walrns-Uari i, h.a.l, « ill. Ini.' 22H 

220. Walnis-harp.ii.u li.M.l, with liiM- 228 

221. VValnis-barpoou head, with liuc 229 

222. Foreshaft of walrus harp.xiii 2:» 

223. Harpo.,n h.'a.l f.,r lari;.' s.-als 230 

224. Retri.'vin-s,-al liaip„..Ti 231 

22,-1. IVtails .,f v.lri.\iii.u s.al harp...... 232 

226. Jad.- bla.l,- f,,r s.-al haip 233 

227. Seal harpoon I'or thrusting 233 

228. Diagram of lashing on shaft 2:i-l 

229. Model of a seal harpoim 235 

230. Large model of whale harpoon -'35 

231. Model of whale h.arpoou, with floats 23() 

232. Flint blade for whale harpoon 237 

233. Slate blade for whale harpoon . , 237 

234. Body of whale harpoon head -38 

235. Whale harpoon heads -'f*^ 



236. Wha 



239 



237. For.'shaft .,t whal.' Iiari„.,,n 

238. Whal.- Ian.-,- -- 

239. Flint hea.l of wlial,- Ian.,- -^'1 

240. Flint heads f..i wli.il,- lan..'s 



241 



241. Bear lauoe -^- 

242. Flint h.-ad f.,r l,.'ar Ian. ■.• -'•*- 

243. Deer lance -^'^ 

244. Part ,if deer Ian. •,■ witli Mint h.-ad -'13 

245. De,-r Ian,-,', Hint h,M.l -•>■' 

246. Flint In-a.l lot .l.-.r lan.v ^'j;} 

247. Bird l,.das, l„„]„.,l n), t.,i .aiTying --^^^ 

248. Bird bolas, ready f,>r us.. -^■>_^ 

249. Sealskin float '^^' 

250. Flipper toggles -^ 

251. Boxc-s for harpoon heads -3- 



255. Seal iudi<'ators 

256. Sealing stool 

257. Seal drag and handle,' 

258. Whaleboui- w.df kille 



1 4 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

Ku,. jr.!.. \V.M,.l.-M s,H.w-j;nj;j;l..s 261 

•.'(id. Hoiii' snow-KdSJfl'-s ^^^ 

261. Womlcii siii>\v-Kuggit'S, uunsunl form 262 

•262. Mark.T fur m>-!it caclu" 262 

263. Mnrkcr fur meat ciu-l.r 263 

264. Tackle, for shore fisbiuK 279 

265. Knot of liiLeiMfo hook 279 

266. Small lisl.-hooks 280 

267. Hooks for river lishin.S 280 

•26S. Taekle for river li-shiiiK 280 

•26!). Burhot hook, first pattc-rii 281 

270. Biirbot lo".k. ^eeoiul |)atterii 281 

271. Hurhol lio.iU, ma.h' of coil hook 281 

272. Burbot taekle, h.'iitcMl 281 

273. Ivory sinker 282 

274. Ivory jigger for j>olar cod 282 

27.5. Section of whaleboue uet 284 

276. Mesh of sinew net 285 

277. Fish trap 285 

278. Fish .spear - 286 

270. Flint flakers 288 

280. Haft of tliut flaker 288 

281. Flint flaker, with hone blade 289 

282. Fire drill, with mouthpiece and stock 289 

283. Set of ho w-an<l-urrow tools , -, 291 

284. Marline spike 292 

285. Marline spike 292 

286. "Twister" for working sinew backing of bow 293 

287. "Feather setter" 294 

288. Tool of antler 294 

289. Skin Kcra])er 295 

290. Skin scrapers— handles only 295 

291. Skin scrapers 296 

292. Skin scraper - 296 

293. Peculiar modification of scraper 296 

294. Skin scraper 297 

295. Skin scraper 297 

296. Skin scraper 297 

297. Flint blade for skin scraper 298 

298. Straight-hafted seraper 298 

299. Bone scrajier 299 

300. Seraper cups 299 

301. Combs for cleaning deer-skius 301 

302. " Double slit " splice for rawhide lines 302 

303. Mattock of whale's rib 303 

304. Pickax-hcads of bone, ivory, and whale's rib 303 

305. Ivory snow knife 305 

306. Snow shovels 305 

307. Snow shovel made of a whale's scapula 307 

308. Snow pick 307 

309. Snow drill 308 

310. Ice scoop 308 

311. Long blnbbir book 310 

312. Short-haiulle,! bliibb.-rhook 310 

313. Fish scaler 311 



ILLUSTKATIONS, 



314. Iv(ir.\ 

315. X.-tti 

316. M.-sl, 



319. N.-ttiuft ii.imUc 3M 

320. M<-sh sticks . . . _ 311 

321. Netting Wfi^lits 3115 

322. Sliuttli- belunnin.i; •" ^'t «f Iciithcr tools 31(5 

323. Mesh stick 317 

324. ■• Swor.l" for tV:itlH-i- w, Mviii- 317 

325. Qtiill case of bon.' iiccdl.-s 318 

326. («) Large hum- iu-c<Uc and peculiar Iliiinl.lc; ((>) l.catlier tliinibles 

with bone needles 31« 

327. Needle ,Ms,.s xvilb belt lio(d<s •. 32(1 

32». («) Ne.'dlecasr xvitb b,dl hook; ( M n.'cdl.M-asc oi.en, sliowin- bone 



332. Koi 



325 

ttle flask of ivory 'f'^ 

334. Box in shape of deer '■^-^ 

335. Small basket ^-" 

336. Small basket ■^-*' 

337. Small basket ^-'i 

338. Kaiak p' 

339. Method of fasteniiif; together frame of kaiak 329 

340. Donble kaiak paddle 330 

341. Model kaiak and paddle 334 

342. Frame of undak '^•^*' 

343. (rt) Method of fastening bilge-streaks to stem of umiak; (6) method 

of frauiiug rib to gunwale, etc ■^-' 

ai4. Method of slinging the oar of umiak ■'■'■' 

345. (<.) Model of umiak ami paddles; (6) mod.d of uuuak, inside plan. . . 340 

346. Ivory bail.T iV.r umiak ;>j" 

347. Ivory crotili for harpoon ;^^'^ 

348. Ivory crotch for liarpoon ;^^- 

349. Crotch for harpoon made of walrus .jaw 342 

350. Sm.wsl - - tZ 



3.53. («) I'iiNt v.. mill of licel-uetting of snowshoe; (ft) hrst. set 
tliiid rounds ol heel-netting of snowshoe 

354. Small >,uousline 

355. Obi ■Tlilrt." ^^iIh stalls. 

356. Railed sledge (diagran.mati.- ). fr'mi photograph 

357. Klat sleilge 

3.58. Small sledge with iv<n-y runners 

359. Small toboggan of whalebone 

360. Hunting score engraxed on ivory 

361. Hunting score engrax ed ..u ivory, obver.s.. and reverse . .-- 

362. Hunting score engra\e.l „u iv.u> 

363. Hunting s,-ore engraved on ivory, obverse and reverse . . - . 



16 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page. 



ver Bay. 



MK. Wdodrii mask 

■Mil. Wooilni mask ami dancing ■ 
HfiK. Olil "iciti'.siinc mask 



375. T<-,.totum -^'^ 

376. liw/.r. toy '^'i*^ 

377. Whizzinj; stick 37!l 

378. IVhbU. snapp-r 37!> 

37;t. Carving of human licad 3S(> 

3W). Mcilianiral doll— drum-i)laycr 3S1 

38L M.Mdianiral toy— kaiak paddlcr 381 

382. Kaiak carved from block of wood 382 

383. Drum 385 

384. Handle of drum secured to rim 386 

385. Drum handles 387 

386. Ivory drumsticks 388 

387. Ancient carving — human head 3il3 

388. \\'oo(leu figures 3!t3 

389. Carving— face of Eskimo man 3!l I 

390. Grotesque soapstone image — " walrus man '' 394 

391. Bono image of dancer 395 

392. Bono image of man.. 396 

393. Grotesque bone image 396 

394. Bone image — sitting man 396 

395. Human tignre carved from walrus ivory 396 

396. Ivory carving — three human heads 397 

397. Rude human head, carved from a walrus tooth 3!I7 

398. Elaborate ivory carving 398 

399. Bear carved of soapstone 398 

400. Bear flaked from flint 399 

401. («) Bear carved from bone; (6) bear's head 399 

402. Ivory figures of bears 400 

403. Ru<lc ivory figures of walrus 401 

104. Iniages of seal — wood and bone 401 

111.'.. W bite whale carved from gypsum 402 

10(1, W,.,,dcu carving— whale 403 



410. h ..I y iiiiai;c of whale 404 

111. Tail ..fill tic ivory whales 4O5 

llL'. .s.Mp.stimi' image of imaginary animal 405 

413. Ivory carving, seal with fish's head 405 

414. Ivory carving, ten-leggeil bear 406 

415. Ivory carving, giant holding whales 406 

416. Double-headed animal carved from antler 407 

417. Ivory carving— dog 407 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 17 

Fig. 418. (n) Piece of ivory, fii,s;r;ivnd with lifj;ures; (/») (Ic'vclopiueiit of 

pattern Ms 

419. (a) Similar engraved ivory ; (b) development of pattern los 

420. Ivory doll li»!" 

421. Whale flaked from glass IX. 

422. Whale flaked from red jasper i:*"' 

423. Ancient whale amulet, of wood 4:t(> 

424. Amulet of whaling— stuffed godwit i'-<X 

42.5. Amulet cousistiug of ancient Jade adz l:W 

426. Little bos containing amulet for vrhaling 4:iH 

427. Amulet for catching fowl with bolas 4*' 

428. Box of dried bees— amulet «l> 

!» ETH 2 



BUBEAU OF 










The Hunting Grounds 






Point Barrow Eskimo. 

^fi«.£/ ariLieut I'/U tifi/sMtipof 

KxplorxiUons ui J\uith»',^^Urri Alash 

Si <f rial Service. US .A. IUSS 

CompUrd by 

John Murdoch 








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1 



ETHNOLOiaOAL RESULTS OK TIIK I'OIM HAi!|{0\V 
EXPEDITION. 



IN FROUUCTION. 

The Inteiiiatioiiiil l'ol;ir KxiM'ditidii to Point Harrow. Alaska, wan 
organized in ISSl by the t'hief Si-nal Ollieer of the .\rniy, (or the i)iir- 
pose of eooperatini;- in the work of eir(iini|>olar otiservation proposed 
by the luternational I'ohir ('onfcicn.-c. Thr expedition, wiiich was 
commanded by Lieut. 1>. II. Kay. lli-lith Infantry. 1'. S. Aiiny. sailed 
from San Francisco July is, issi, and reached Cape Sniylii. II miles 
.southwest of Point IJarrow. on September S df tlie same year. Here a 
permanent station was established, where the parly remained until 
August L'S. iss;i. wiien the station was abandoned, and Ilie paity sailed 
for Sau Francisco, arrivin- there October 7. 

Though the main object of the expedition was tli.' lUdseeulion of the 
observations in terrestrial maj^netisni and meteorolo.uy. il was possible 
to obtain a huge collection of articles illustrating the arts and industries 
of the Eskimo of the region, with whom the most friendly relations 
were early established. Xearly all of the collecti(ui was made by barter, 
the natives bringing their weajions, (dothing, and other objects to the 
station for sale. Full inites on the habits ami customs of the Ivskimo 
also wer<' (Mdlectcd by th.' ditterent ni.Mubers of the pally, especially 
by the c.uninanding ollieer: the interpreter, ('apt. K. P. Ilerendeen: the 
surgeon. Dr. (leorge Scott Oldmison, and myself, who sei\-ed as one of 
the naturalists and observers of the expedition. It fell to my share 
to take (diarge of and catalogue all the collections ,nad(^ by the expedi 
tion,and therefore I had especially favorable op])ortunities for becondng 
aequaintetl with the ethnography of the region. ('ons<M|ueiitly. upon 
the return of the expedition, when it was found that I he eihnologieal 
observations would occujiy too mu<-h space tor |iublicalion in Ihe ollicial 
report,' all the collections and notes were intrust. 'd to me for Ihe purpose 
of preparing a special repcut. The Smithsonian Institution, through 
the kindness of the late Prof Spencer F. Baird, then se<-relary. furnished 

I Krvrirt 111' the InternatiuniU Volar ExpeiUtiou to I'oint Barrow, Alaska, by I.i.Mit. I". H. Ray, W:i«h 
ingtoD, 1885. 

19 



20 TllK VOiyj ISAIiKUW ESKIMO. 

a rooiu where the work of stiidyins fl"' follection eould be carried on, 
and allowed mv aceess to its lil)raries and to the extensive eollections 
oltlie Xational Miiseiun for the [mrposes of comparison. The Director 
of the Hureau of Kthnolofiv, -Maj. .f. W. Powell, kindly a.s-reed to furnish 
the illiustrations for the work and to imhli.sh it as i>art of his annual 
report, wliile the Chief Signal Otlicer. with the greatest consideration, 
permitted me to remain in the emi)loy of his Bureau until the completion 
of the work. 

Two years wei-e si)ent in a detailed analytical study of the articles in 
the collection, until all the information that could be gathered from the 
objects themselves and from the notesof the collectors had been recorded. 
Careful compari.sons were luade with the arts and industries of the 
Eskimo race as illustrated by the collections in the National Museum 
and the writings of various e.xjjlorers, aud these frequently resulted iu 
the elucidation of obscure ])oints in the history of the Point Barrow 
Eskimo. In tiie form in which it is pn-scntcd this work contains, it is 
believed, all that is known at the i.rcs<'nt day of tlie etlinograi)liy of 
this interesting i pie. 

Much linguistic material was also collected, which 1 hojie some time 
to be able to i>repare for publication. 

The observaticms are arranged according to the plan pioposed liy 
Prof. Otis T. Mason in his "Ethnological Directions, etc.," soincwliat 
modified to suit the circumstances. In writing Eskinn) words the alpha- 
bet given in Powcirs ■• Introdintion to the Study of Indian Languages" 
has been used, witii the addition i, for an obscure n (like the final a in 
soda), ,»for a similar obscure r, and li for the sound of the German o or 
French ck. 

I desire to express my gratitude to th<' late Prof. Siiencer F. Baird, 
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to the late (ien. William B. 
Hazeu, Chief Signal Officer of the Army, aud to Maj. J. \V. Powell, Di- 
rector of the Bureau of Ethnology, for their kindness in enabling nie to 
carry on these investigations. Grateful at'knowledgment is due for valu- 
able assistance to various members of the scientific staff of the National 
Museum, especially to the curator of ethnology. Prof. Otis T. Mason, 
an<l to Mr. William II. Dall. Valuable suggestions were received from 
iMr. Lucien M. Tuiner, Dr. Franz Boas, the late Dr. Eniil Bessels, and 
Dr. II. Kink, of Christiania. 

LIST (IF WOKKS CON-StLTE]). 

The following list is m)t intended for a coni).Iete bibliography of what 
has been written on the ethnography of the Eskimo, but it is believed 
that it contains most of the imi)ortant works by authors who have 
treated of these people from personal obsei'vation. Such of the le.ss im- 
portant -works have been included as <'(>ntain any references bearing 
upon the subject of the study. 

As it has licen my ol)iect to go, whenever iiossible, to the original 
iiources of information, compilations, whether scientific or i)opular. have 



MURnorH.) WOKKS CONSI ' l.l'Kl >. Jl 

not been referred to m iiicludcd Iti this list. \\ liiili ;ilsi> rontains only 

the editions referred to in th>' text. 

Armstrong. Alexander. A jhtsoiuiI ii;irr;itivr «f tin rliMuv.iy i<f ili.- NnriiiwiHi 

Passage; •\vithnuiiUT0us im-iiU'iitsot' tr:iv.l :iiic' mh ■iitiirc dm in;; iii:iil\ ti\i- 

years' continuous sci\ ic(> in tlu- Aniii- iiLiiuns uliilr in sc:nrli of ihr ix|ii-- 

ditiou under Sir .lolni I'l-.nililin. I...iiclnn. Is,"'7. 
Back, Gkouoe. Narnitiv,-or llir Ai.i,,- l^ni.l rx,.,,lil l.. tl,.- n...inli of llo- (.r.-at 

Fish RiTeran.lalor., mil.' vlo.i vs ,,f il.r Ai.li. (i,. ■:,,,. ni llir >rai> ]KV.\. IMH. 

and 1835. PliiIa(U-liihi:i. ISMtl. 
^BeeCHEY, Frederick Wii.i.iam. \:iiiatiM' of n \oya;;c- lo llio I'arifo' ami I'.ririuK'H 

Strait to cooperate wirli tin- ju.l.ir ixiiiilition- : ]i.i Inini.-il in lli> Majislv's 

ship Blossom, under the eonnnaml of (:i|ii. 1'. \\ . lieeilny. itc. itc. eti.. 

in the year-s 1825, 1826, 1827. and 1.S2X. l...n(lon, ls:!l. 
Bessels, Emu,. Die amerikanisehe Xoidiiol-KxiMMJition. Liipzi;,'. \>i'x. 

The northerumo.st inhabitants of the earth. An etlmomaidiir sUi^lcli, < .\niiT- 

iean Xaturaliht, vol. 18, pp. 861-882. 188-1. 

Einige Worte iiher die Inuit (Eskimo) des Sniith-Snmhs. nelist Bennrkung.n 

iiber Imiit-.'^ehiUlel. <Arehiv fiir Anthn.pologi,., vol. s. p,,. l(i7-l-.'2. 
Braunschweig, 187."). 
Boas. FraSZ. The Central Eskimo. In Sixth Annual K.l.ort of Ih.- Hnre.-,n of K.th- 

uology, pp. 393-6!).). \Vashingt..n, (i.vernm.nt Printing OHiee, 1SX8. 
Brodbeck, J. NachOsteu. rntersmhungsfalui na.h der O.stkuste (ironlands. vom 

2. bis 12. August 1881. Niesky. issj. 
Chappell, E. (Lieut., K. N. ). Narrative of a voyage to Hud.son's Bay in Mis Majesty's 
ship Rosamond, containing some account of the northeastern coast of Amer- 
ica, and of the tribes inhabiting that remote region. London. 1817. 
Chori.s, L. Voyage Pittoresque autour du Monde, avec des ])ortraits des sauvages 
d'Am^rique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des iles dn Grand Ocean ; des paysages, des 
vnes raaritimes. et plusieurs objets d'histoire iiaturelle; accompagn<5 do 
descriptions par M. le Baron Cuvier, et M. A. de Chamlsso, et d'obeervations 
8ur les cranes huinains par M. le Docteur CialL Paris, 1822. 
Cook, .Iames. and KiNi.. .LyMES. A voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the 
command of His Majesty for making discoveries in the nortliern hemisphere, 
to determine the position and extent of the west side of Xorth America; its 
distance from Asia ; an<l the practicability of a northern passage to Europe, 
in tlie ye.ars 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. Loudcm, 1784. 3 vols. (Com- 
monly called " Cook's Third Voyage.") 
"CORWIN." Cruise of the revenue steamer Corwin in Alaska and the N. W. Arctic 
Ocean in 1881. Notes and memoranda. Medical and anthropological: botan- 
ical; ornithological. Washington, Government Printing Otiicc, 1883. 
Crantz, David. The history of Greenland: containing a descri])tion of the country 
and its inhabitants;"and particularly a rel.-ition of the mission c:irried on for 
above these thirty years by the Unitas Fratrmn. .it New Ilcrrnhulh and I.ich- 
tenfels. in that country. 2 volinues. London. 17l'i7. 
Pmi Wiii.iAM Heai.v. Ala.s'ka and its Kesoiirces. Host. m. 1870. 

0„ ,„.,sk^ labrcts. and certain aboriginal customs, with an in.,niry into the 

l„-iriii.' of tb.-ir geographical distribution. <Tliird .\nnnal Report of the 
liuriMU of Kthnology^to the .Secretary of the Smiths.mian Instituti«m. 1881. 
Washington, Government Printing OfBce, 1881. 
Tribes of the extreme northwest. <Contributions to Nortli^.Vmerican Ethnol- 
ogy voL 1. Washington, tiovernuient Printing Othi'c, 1877. 
[Davi^..Ioiin-]. The first voyageofMaster .John Dauis,vn.lertakcnin.Iuncl.^N5: for 
the discoverie of the Northwest Passage. Written by .lohn .lan.-s Marcbant, 
Seruant to the worshipfnU M. William San.lerson. <Ilakluyt, '• The prmci- 
pal navigations, voiages, etc.,'' pp. 776-780. Lm.don, lo89. 



22 THK rOIXT BARROW ESKIMO. 

[Davis, .Imiin). The s.-cond voyag.- attniii.t.-.l l.> Mast.-r Join. Dauiswitli others 
f.ir the iliscovt-rie cif the Xmthwest jiassage, in Auui. ISStJ. <IIukluyt, 
■• The jiriiicijial navigations, voiages, et<-.," pp. 781-786. London. l.'iSy. 

I lie third v..\!ig( Northwestward, made by John Daiiis, Genth-iiian. as ehiefe 

( aptaine and Pilot generall, for the discoverie of a passage to the Isles «l' the 
Jlolucea, or the coast of China, iu the yeere 1587. Written by John .lanes. 
Seruant to the afore.sayd M. William Sanderson. <^Hakluyt, "The iirinci- 
pal navigations, voiages, etc.," pp. 789-792. Loudon, 1589. 

Deask, I'ktkr W., and Simp.son, Thoma.s. An account of the recent antic ilis- 
coveries by Messrs. Dease and Simpson. <^ Journal of the Royal (Jcographi- 
cal Society of L Ion, vol. 8, pp. 213-225. Loudon, 1838. 

EGi:i>r,. Hans, A descriiitiou of Greenland. Showing the natural history, sitiuition, 
liipundaries. and face of the country ; the nature <if the soil; the rise and prog- 
ress of the old Xiirwegian colonies; the ancient and modern inhabitants; 
their genius and way of lile, and produce of the soil ; their jdants, beasts, 
fishes, etc. Translated from the Danish. London. 17t:.. 

El.I.is, H. A voyage to Hudson's Bay, by the Dohbs Galh-y and California, in the 
years 1746 and 1747, for discovering a northwest passage. London, 1748. 

Fhanklin, Sir John. Narrative of a jouincy to the shores of the Polar Sea in the 
years 1819-20-21-22. Third editinn, !■ vnls. London, 1824. 

Narrative of a second expedition to the shcjres of the Polar Sea in the years 1825, 

1826, and 1827. Including an accoimt of the progress of a detachment to the 
eastward, by John Richardson. London, 1828. 

[FiiomsHER, Marti.v] . The first voyage of M . Martine Frobisher to the Northwest for 
the search of the straight or passage to China, written by Christopher Hall, 
and made in the yeere of our Lord 1576. <HaMuyt, ''The ]iriucipal navi- 
gations, voiages, etc.,"' pp. 615-622. London, 1589. 

The second voyage of Master Martin Frobisher, made to the West and Northwest 

Regions, iu the yeere 1577. With a discription of the Countrey and people. 

Written by Dionise Settle. <Haliluyt. "The principal navigations, voi- 
ages, etc.." ],p, 622-630. London, 1.589. 
'I'lie third and last voyage into Meta Incognita, made by M. Martin Frobisher, 

in the year 1.578. Written by Thomas Ellis. <Ha"klnyt. "The principal 

navigations, voiages, etc.," pp. 630-635. London, 1589. 
Gii.iiKii, W. H. Schwatka's search. Sledging in the arctic iu quest of the Franklin 

records. New York, 1881. 
Gkaaii, W. X. (Capt.). Narrative of an expedition to the east coast of Greenland, 

SI lit by order of the King of Denmark, in search of the lost colonies. 

translated from the Danish. London, 1837. 
Haki.i VT, Richard. The i)rincipall navigations, voiages and discoveries of the 

English nation, made by Sea or over Land, t(. tlie most remote and farthest 

distant Quarters of the earth at any time within the compasse of these 100 

yeeres. London, 1.589. 
Hai.i,. CuAiiLES Francis. Arctic researches and life among the Es(|Uiiuaux: being 

the narrative of an exjieditiou in scare h of Sir Jcdin Franklin, in the years 

ISliO, 1861, and 1862. New York, 1865. 

Narr.ilive of the second arctic expedition made by Charles F. Hall : his voyage 

t .. KeiMilse l!a \ , sledge .iourueys to the Straits of Fury and Hecla and to King 

William's Land, and residence among the Eskimos during the years 1864-'69. 

Washington, (iovernment Printing Office, 1879. 
Hi':ai.v. M. a. Report of the cruise of the revenue mavim- steamer Cjrwin in the 

Arctic' Ocean in the year 1885. Washington. Gnveniment Printing Oftice, 

ISST. 
Hoi.M.i;. K,.iiel.aads-Expeditionen til Cionlands OstU.Nst l.s«3-'85. <(ieografisk 



MiRDocii) WOKK.S CONSUl/l'KI). 23 

HoLM,G. and Garde, V. Den ilaiiske KoiieliiUulH-KxiMMlitiniMii lil (i,oiilim(ls0,MiltvHt 

populiErt Ijfskreven. CdiUMihu^.-n, 1887. 
Hooper, C. L. (Capt.). Keport of the cruiso of t-ho II. .'^. iwrmu. sI.-mi.i.t TlioniaH 

Corwin, in the Arctic (_)ceaii. ISSl. VVashiuKton, (iovcnirji.iii J'rinliii.r oili,.,. 

1884. 
HooPKR, William Hri.ME (Lieut. 1. I'm inonth.s amoiij; tin- i.nls ..t ih, Tuski wiih 

incidents of an arctic I.cmI rx|»ailion in scarcli of ,sii- .lolni l-iiinklin. ;,m 

far as the Mackenzie i;i\.-i aii.i r-.^u- Bathur.st. Lon<loii. ls.->:). 
Ka.n-e, Elisha Kent (Dr.). Ar.ti.' .xplnrati.ms iu the years l8-,:{. Tvl. T,-,. Two vols 

Philadelphia. lS.-i(5. 

The I-. S. Grinnrl] expedition in sratvh of .Sir .)„hn Ktunklin. .\ p..,s„Mi,l 

narrative. New York. IS,",:). 
KiRKBY, W. W. (Archdeacon). A ,j(.iirne,v to the Yoncaii. K'iissi:in ,\iii,rir:i. ■ An- 

nnal Report of the Board of Regents of the Sniitli.soiii.ui lnsiitiiii,,ii lui- tin- 
year 1864, pp. 416-420. Washington, 1865. 
KlvtsCHAk, Heinricii W. Als Eskimo unter don Eskimos. i;iii,- S. hiliiiiuii^' ilrr 

Erlebnisse dry S,hwatka's,-heu Franklin-anfsuiiiiii.gs-rxprdii ion in ,|,.|i 

Jahren 1878-'.s(i. Wi.n, I'.st, Lcipzijj, 1881. 
KOTZEBUE, O. vox. A voyagr of discovery into the Soulli Sra ami Heelings SIr.iils, 

for the pnrposi^ of exploring a northeast passage, nndertiiken in ilie years 

1815-1818. Three v<dnnies. Loudon. 1821. 
KraUSE, AlTREL (Dr.). Die Bevolkerungsverh;iltnis.se dor 'Pselinktseliei-llalliinscl. 

<Deutsche geographische Bliitter, vol. 6, pp. 248-278. Iliennn, lss:i. 

and .\RTIIUR. Die Expedition der Bremer geographischen (Jrs.lls.lmft nai li 

der Tschnktseher-Halbinsel. <Deutsche geographische liliilter. \ol. .">, |i]i. 
1-35, 111-133. Bremen, 1882. 

Die wLsseiischaftliche Expedition der Bremer geographischen GesellsiliuCi naeh 

dein Kiistengebiete an der Beringsstrasae. <Deutsche geographisclie liliit- 
ter, vol. 4, pp. 24.5-281. Bremen, 1881. 

KUMLIEN. LrDWiG. Contribntious to the natural history of Arrt ic Anieriia. made in 
connection with the Howgate polar expedition, 1877-7!^. liull.-tin of tlie I'. 
.S. National Mn.sciim, No. 15. Washington, Government I'rinting ( )ttice, 187!l. 

LlsiANSKY, I'kev. a voyage round the world, in the years 1803, "4, '5, and '6, per- 
foriMcil by older id' His Imperial Majesty Alexander the First. Emperor of 
Russia, iu the ship Neva. Loudon, 1814. 

Lyon, G. V. (Capt.). The private .journal of Captain G. F. Lyon, of II. M. S. Ilecla. 
during the recent voya.ge of discovery under Captain Parry. Boston. 1824. 

M'Cu'RE, Robert Le Mesiirier (Capt.). See Osborn, Sherard (editor). 

Mackenzie, Alexander. Voyages from Montreal, on the river St. Lawrence, tlirongh 
the continent of North Ameriiai, to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in the 
years 1789 and 1793. London, 1802. 

Maouire, RocnroRT (Commander). Proceedings of Commamler Magnire. H. .\I. dis- 
covery 8hii> "Plover." < Parliamentary Reports, 1854, XLii. pp. 16,5-185. 
Loudon, 1854. 

Proceedings of (lommander Magnire, Her Majesty's discovery ship "Plover." 

<[ Further ])apers ridative to the recent arctic expedition in si'arch of Sir 
.lohn Franklin, etc., ]>. 905 (second year). Presented to both houses of Par- 
liament, .lannary. 18.55. London. 

Mi>i!i:.\N. ilf.NRY. The relation of the course which tlie .Sniishine, a bark of liftie 
liinnes. ami the Northstarre, a small pinnesse, l>ein,i; two vessels ni' the llect 
of .\l. .lolin n.inis. liehl after he had sent them from hiui tixliseoiier tin' jia.ss- 
age betwe.n (iioeiiland and Island. Written by Henry Morgan, .seniant to 
m". William Sanderson, of Loudon. <H!ikluyt, "The principall navig:.tions, 
voiages, etc.," pp. 787-9. Loudon, 1589. 

MrRDoi'ii. ,I()IIX. The retrieving harpoon ; an undescribed tvpe of Eskimo wcajiou 
< American Naturalist, vol. 19, 1885, pp. 423-425. 



24 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

MrRnocii. .IdiiN. On the Siberian origin of some customs of the western Eskimos. 
< American Anthropologist, vol. 1. pp. 325-336. Washington, 1888. 

A study of the Eskimo bows in the U. S. National Museum. <; Smithsonian 

Report, for 1884, pt. ii, pp. 307-316. Washington, Government Printing 
Office, 1885. 

NORDENSKioLD, AjDOLF Eric. The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe. 
Translated by Alexander Leslie. 2 vols. London, 1881. 

O.sBORN, Shkrakd (editor). The discovery of the northwest passage by H. M. S. In- 
vestigator, Capt. R. M'Clure, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854. Edited by Com- 
mander .Sherard Osborn, from the logs and journals of Capt. Robert Le M. 
M'Clure. Appendix : Narrative of Commander Maguire, wintering at Point 
Barrow. London, 1856. 

I'Aiiitv. Wii.UAM Edward (Sir). Journal of a voyage for the discovery of a north- 
west i)a6sage from the Atlantic to the Pacific; performed in the years 
lsi!(-'20, in His Majesty's ships Hecla and Griper. Second edition. London, 
LSI' I. 

.Iiuiiiial cif a SIM ond voyage for the discovery of a northwest passage from the 

Atlantic to the Pacific; performed in the years 1821-'22-'23. in His Majesty's 
shii)s Fury and Hecla. London, 1824. 

Petitot, Emile FoRTU.Nii Stanislas Jo.seph, (Rev.). Geographic de I'Athabascaw- 
Mackenzie. <Bulletin de la SociiSt^ de Geographic, [6] vol. 10. jip. 5-12, 
126-183, 242-290. Paris, 1875. 

Vocabulaire Franfais-Esquimaus, dialecte des Tchiglit des bouches du 

Mackenzie et de 1' Anderson, pT6c6d6 d'une monographie de cette tribu et de 
notes grammaticales. Vol. 3 of Pinart's " Bibliothfeque de Linguistique et d' 
Ethnographie Amerieaines." 

Petkoi-k. Ivan. Report on the population, industries, and resources of Alaska. 
<Tenth Census of the U. S. Washington, Government Printing Office, 
1884. 

Powell, .Ioseph S. (Lieut.). Report of Lieut. Joseph S. Powell; Relief expedition 
to Point Barrow, Alaska. <Signal Service Notes, No. V, pp. 13-23. Wash- 
iugtim, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1883. 

Rae, John (Dr.). Narrative of an expedition to the shores of the Arctic .Sea in 1846 
and 1847. London, 1850. 

Ray, Patrick Henry (Lieut.). Report of the International Polar Expedition to 
Point Barrow, Alaska. Washington, Government Printing OfKc c. 1S85. 

Report of I^icut. P. Henry Ray: Work at Point Barrow, Alaska, from Septem- 
ber 16. 1881, to August 25, 1882. <Signal Service Notes, No. V. p]>. 35-40. 
Wasliin-ton, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1883. 

Ki( HAKDSd.N, John (Sir.). Arctic searching expedition : A journal of a boat voyage 
through Rujiert's Land and the Arctic Sea, in search of the discovery ships 
undir command of Sir John Franklin. 2 volumes. London, 1851. 

Eskimos, their geographical distribution. <Edinburgh New Philosophical 

.lournal, V(d. 52, pp. 322-323. Edinburgh, 1852. 

The polar regions. Edinburgh, 1861. 

Rink, Henrik [Johan] (Dr.). Die danische Expedition nach der Ostkiiste Griinlauds. 
1883-1885. <Deutsche geographische Bliitter, vol. 8, pp. 341-353. Bremen, 
1885. 

Danish Greenland, its people and its products. London, 1877. 

The Eskimo tribes. Their distribution and characteristics, especially in regard 

to language. Moddelelser om Gr0nland, vol.11. Copenhagen, 1887. 

Die Ostgronlander in ihrem Verhiiltnisse zu den uhngcL Eskimostiimmen. 

<Deutsche geographische Blatter, vol. 9, pp. 22&-239. Bremen, 1886. 

0stgrOnlienderne i deres Forhold til VestgrOnlienderne og de 0vrige Eskimostam- 

nicr. <Geografisk Tidskrift, vol. 8, pp. 139-145. Copenhagen, 1886. (Nearly 
the same as the above. ) 



Mi-RDorH.] WOKKS CONSn.TlCl). 25 

Rink, Hexrik [Jolian]. Talrs mul I'rndii i,ms of ilir KsKi » iH, :, .k.-irh ,.\ i|„.ir 

habits, language, and otln-r |iriiili:uitirs. I'laiislaiiil iVcni ilir |iai,i>li. 
Edinburgh, 1875. 

Ross, John. Appendix to thenarrativc ufa sirmid \ci\:i^'r in siai. li ..t a ^cll■Ill^^.•^l 
passage, aud of a residmce in thi- ar.tii' iri;liins ilmini; iln' \.:ns ISL'li, ls:iii 
1831, 1832, 1833. Loudon. ISir.. 

Xarrative of a second \ciyai;i' in s.-arrh ol' : rlliw.'^l |iassa;,'r. and ol' a n-si- 

dence in the arctic lejrions dnrini; ilu' \cars isi'll, ls:;(i. ls:i|. is:!'.'. l,s:{:i. I'liila- 
delphia, 183.5. 

.\ voyage of di.scover.v. made nmlcr the .n-.lcis ,,l ihc a.lnuiali\ in ilis Majoi/s 

ships Isabella and .\lcxander. t.ir thi- )iiniiosc id csidoiini; I'.aliin's liav. and 
inquiring into thi' |iroli.-iliility ofa nortliwcsl |iassai;c. London, ISlil. 

SCHWATKA, Frederick. The Nidschillnk Innnit. • Scicn, c. x .d. I. ].|i. .M:!-."). New- 
York, 1884. 

Nimrod in the North, or hunting and lishini,' ad\ .■ntnn's m tin- .arctic ief,'iotis. 

New York, 1885. 

ScoRESBY, William, Jr. (Captain). .lourutil ofa \(i.v.a;;c to tlic n.nllicm wliale- 
tishery; including researches and disia.vcrics on the casti-rn coast of Green- 
land, made in tlie summer of 182L', in tin- ship I'.afliti, of I.ivcipool. Kdiii- 
burgh, 1823. 

SeemaNN, BerTHOLD. Ntirrative of the \oyauc idll. .M, ,•<. Herald, dniinf; the years 
1845-'51, under the eomuuuid of Caiit.iiii llcniy Kelhtf. i;. N., ('. li. ; being 
a circumnavigation of the glolie and thicc . miscs to the aictic regions in 
search of Sir John Franklin. Two\(ds. London. bs.-i3. 

Simpson, John (Dr.). Observations on the western liskimo, aud the eotintry tiny in- 
habit; from notes taken during two years at Point Barrow. <A s( lection of 
jiapcrs on arctic geography aud ethn(jlogy. Reprinted and ])resented to the 
ar<-tie expedition of 1875 by the Royal (Jeographical Society ("Arctic Blue 
Book"), pp. 233-275. Loudon, 1875. (Reprinted from ■■Further j.apers," 
etc., Pari. Rep., 18.55.) 

Simpson, Thomas. Narrative of the discoveries on the north coast <if .\ineriea, 
etteetedby the ofticers of the Hudson's Bay Company during tlie years lS3lj-3y. 
London, 1843. 

Soi.LAS, W. .L On some Eskimos' b(me implements from theeast coast of (Jreenlund. 
<Journalof theAnthropcdogieal Institute of (ireat Britain aud Irelaud. vol. 
!), pp. 329-336. London, 1880. 

Sutherland, P. C. (Dr.). On the Esquimaux. <Journal of the Ethnological So- 
ciety of London, vol. 4, pp. 193-214. London, 1856. 

Wrangell, Ferdinand vox. Xiirrative of an expedition to the PolarSea in tlie years 
1820, 1821, 1822, and 1823. Edited by Maj. Edward Sabiue. Loudon, 1840. 



SITUATION AND SURROUNDINGS. 

The people \vli()s<' ;irts and industries are represented l.y tlie eoUee- 
tiou to be de.seril)ed are tlie Eskimo of tlie northwestern extremity of 
the coutinent of North Anieriea, w ho make peiuiaiient homes at the two 
vilhiges of Xuwfik and f^tkiavwiu. Small eontribntions to the collec- 
tion were obtained from natives of Wainwrisht Inlet and from peojile of 
the Inland Itiver (Xunatanminn) who visited the imrthern villag«'s. 

Xuwnk. "tlie Point." is situated on a slightly elevated knoll at the 
extremity of Point liairow. in lat. 71° 23' N., long. I.jO'^ 17' W.. and 
Utkiuvwih. -tlu' Clitfs." at the l)eKinmug- of the high land at ('ai)e 
Smyth, 11 miles southwest from Xuwfik. The name Utkiavwin was ex- 
plained as meaning "the high place, whence one can look out," and was 
said to be equivalent to ikpik. a cliff. This name appears on the various 
maps of this region under several corrupted forms, due to carelrssness 
or inability to catch the liner distinctions of sound. It tirst a]i|iears on 
Capt. Maguire's map' as "Ot-ki-a-wing," a form of the word \i-ry near 
the Eskimo pronunciation. Ou Dr. Simpson's map'' it is changed to 
"Ot-ke-a-vik," which on the admiralty chart is misprinted "Otkiovik." 
Petroff ou his map' calls it "Ootiwakh." while he gives an imaginary 
village "Ootkaiowik, Arctic Ocean," of :>:> inhabitants, in his census of 
the Arctic Division (op. cit., p. 4), which does not appear upon his map. 

Our party, I regret to say, is responsible for the name " Ooglaamie " or 
"ITglaamie," which has appeared on many nia]>s since our return. Strictly 
speaking this name should be used only as the official name of the United 
States signal station. It arose fi'om a misunderstanding of the name as 
heard the day after we arrived, and was even adopted by the natives in 
talking with us. It was not until the second year that we learned the 
correct form of the word, which has been carefully verified. 

The inhabitants of these two villages are so widely separated from 
their neighbors — the nearest iieiinanent villages are at Point Belcher 
and Waiuwright Inlet, 75 miles southwest, and Demarcation Point, 3.50 
miles east^ — and .so closely c(jnnccted with each other by intermarriage 
and common interests, that they may be considered as a single people. 
In their hunting and trading expeditions they habitually range from the 
neighborhood of Prfugi' Inlet along the coast to Barter Island, going 
inland to the upprr waters <,f the large rivers which How northward 
into the Arctic Ocean east of Point Barrow. Small parties occasionally 
travel as far as Waiuwright Inlet and more rarely to Point Hope, ami 

iParl. Eeportfl, 1854. vol.42, p. 180. 
'Further Papers, &c.. Pari, Ei-p. (1855). 
^Report on the population, etc., ol" Alaska. 

«Capt. E. E. Smith, who in command of a ateani whaler penetrated as far east as Ketnrn Eeef iu the 
summerof 1685, saya that the natives told him there was no permanent village west of Herschel Island. 



M^"i"'™] T<ii'()(uj\i'iiv (IF Tin: (orNTKv. 27 

some times as far as tlic Ma<-kciizic KivcT-. 'I'lir cnIimiI of ih.-ir winil.' • 

ings will bf treated of more Inlly in , ncctioii wiili ilicir rclal inns'i,, 

the other natives of th.. No, tl, west. Tliey appear to he nnae,'|na'ii'Me,'l 
with the interior except for alioul 1(1(1 mih's south of Point Harrow 
Theeoast from Itefii-e Inlet rnns nearly strai-ht in a generally norlli 

gravi'l.an.l jieLhles. in apiieaianre elosely resenihliu- -laeiaMrili.' Im'h' 
dered by a narrow, steej. beach of |.ebl,|cs and i^raxel. and broken at 
intervals l)y steep j;ull.>ys whii-li are tlie cliannel.s of tenipoiaiv strean'is 
rniiinnu oidy dnrinu tiie juaiod of niching snow, and li\ lonu. narrow 

.soinetimes ending in low, steep banks. The tiis of these lauooiis 

are generally rather wide, and i-josed liy a bai- of uiavel thrown up liv 
the wa\-es (luring the season of o|ieii wati'r. In rlii' spiin^. the snow 
and ice on the land melt months liefore the sea opens and Hood tlie ice 
on the higoons, which also melts giadnally around the edges aiilil tliere 
is a sntHcielit head of water in tiie lagoon to break throimii the liar at 
the lowest jioiiit. This stream soon cuts itself a <-hannel."iisMally about 
HO or ;!(l yards wide, through whi.-li tiie lagoon is rapidly drained, soon 
cnttilig out an open siiace of greater or less extent in the sea ice. 

tide ebiis and flows throngh the channel, whicii is usually from knee- 
When the sea gets suttieienth open for waves to lireak upon the lieacli, 
they in a short time bring in enough gravel to close the outlet. The 
cliffs gradually decrease in height till they reach Cape Smyth, where 
they are about 25 feet high, and ternnnate in low knolls sloping down 
to the banks of the broad lagoon Isutkwi:. which is made by th.' con 
fluenee of two narrow, sinuous gulle.\s, ami is oidy 1(» feet deep in the 
deei-est part. 

Rising from the beach beyoiul the mouth of this lagoon is a slight (de- 
vation, 12 feet above the sea level, which was anciently the site of a 
small village, called b> the same name as the lagoon. On this elevation 
■was situated tlu' Tnited States signal station ol' Ooulaainie. I'.eyond 
this the land is lev.d with the to], of the beach, which is broa.l and nearly 
Hat, raise.l into a slight ridge on the outer edge. Ab.mt half a mile 
from the station, just at the edge of the bea(di, is tlic small lagoon 
Im.M-nyi;, about L'OO yards in diameter, and nearly tilled ui> with marsh. 

of water imdose<l liy the saiidspil whicli forms Point I'.arrow. This is 
a continuation of the line of the beach, varying in breadth from l'(M) to 
(•0(1 yards and running mirtheast tor o miles, then turning sharply to the 
east-scmtheast and running out in a narrow gravel spit, l' miles long, 
which is continued eastward by a chain of mirrow, low-, sandy islands, 
which extend as far as Point Tangent. At the angle of the iioint the 
lami is sli-htlv eh'vated into irregular tmf coveied knolls, on which the 



28 THK POINT BAKHOW ESKIMO. 

villau'c of Xiiwuk is sitn;itcil. At vaiious ])oiiits Mlong tlic hcacli are 
hca])s ot' ji'iavcl, sonictiiiics '> or leet in height, whidi are laised hy the 
ice. Masses of old ice. healing huge qimiitities of gravel, are juished 
ii]i on the beach during severe storms and melt rajjidly in tlie siunmer, 

are often i)ushed up out of reach of the waves, so tiiat the heaj.s of 
gravel are left thenceforth nndisturlM'd. 

Between luiernyn and IMson I'.ay (Ta'syuk) is a series of large .shal- 
low lagoons, nearly circulai and close to the beach, which ri.ses in a regu- 
lar sea-wall. All have low steep haidcs on the land side, l)ordered with 
a narrow beach. The first of these. i'ki>ilin ("that winch has liigh 
banks"), breaks out in the spring thiough a narrow channel in the beach 
ui the manner already (h'scril led, and is salt oi' brackish. The next is 
fi'esh and connected with Ikpilin by a small stream running along be- 
hind the beach. It is called Si'nnyu, and receives a rivulet from a 
small fresh-water lake 3 or 4 miles inland. The third, Inie'kpuu ("great 
watei""), is also fresh, and has neither tributary nor outlet. The fourth, 
Imekpu'nigln, is brackish, and empties into Elson Bay by a small stream. 
Between this stream and the beach is a little fresh-water pond cliise to 
the bend of Elson P.ay, which is called Kikyi'ikta'ktoro, from one or two 
little islands (klkyh'kti;) near one end (d'it. 

Back from the shore the land is but slightly elevated, and is marshy 
and interspersed with many snnill lakes and ponds, sometimes con- 
nected by inconsiderable streams. This marsh i)asses gradually into 
a somewhat higher and drier rolling plain, stretching back inland from 
the cliffs and growing gradually higher to the south. Dr. Simpson, on 
the authority of the Point Bairow natives, describes the country as 
"uniforndy low, and full of small lakes or pools of fresh water to a dis- 
tance ofaliout 50 miles from the north shore, where the surface becomes 
undulating and hilly, and, farther south, mountainous.'" This descrip- 
tion has been substantially verilied by Lieut. Ray's explorations. South 
of the usual deer-hunting ground of the natives he found the land decid- 
edly broken and hilly, and rising gradually to a considerable range of 
mountains, running approximately east and west, which could be seen 
from the farthest point he reached.-' 

Tlie natives also speak of high rocky land -a long way off to the 
east," wlrich some of them have visited for the jjurpose of hunting the 
mountain sheep. The hiw rolling plain in the immediate vicinity of 
Point Barrow, which is all of the country that could be visited by our 
party when the laud was clear of snow, jjre.sents the general appear- 
ance of a country overspread with glacial drift. The landscape is 
strikingly like the rolling drift hills of Cape ( 'od, and this resendilance 
is increased by the absence of trees and the occurrence of ponds in all 
the depressions. There are no rocks in situ visible in this region, and 

' Point Barrow, p. 28. 



sirRDOcB.l T(H'()(iliArHV OF THE ColMi;'!. 2i^l 

large bowlders arc absent, wliilc pchhlcs lar.i;cr Ihaii llic lisl arc rare 
The surface of the Jin in 11(1 is cdvcicl with a tiiin sdil. sii|.iioiliii.'; a lalhcr 
sparse vegetation of ji-rass, tiowcrint;- plants, crccpin}; willows, ami 
mosses, which is thicker on the lii^licr hillsides and turiiis a layer id' 
turf about afoot thick. Large tracts of cdiniiai ali\ rl\ le\el uronnd 

are almost bare of gi'ass, and consist ol' iii-c^nlar hiini cks ot hhudi, 

muddy soil, Scautil.V covi'led with li^lil -colored lichens and I'lill of small 
l)ools. The lowlands, especially those hack of I hi' lieach lagoons, arc 
marshes, thickly covered with grass and sphagnum. The whole sin 
face of the land is exceedingly wet in snmnier. c\cepi the liiuhcr knolls 
and hillsides, and for about 100 yards back from the edge ot ihe dills. 
The thawing, however, extends down only about a tool oi eighteen 
inches. Beyond this deiitli the ground is iieiiieiually lio/.en tor au 
unknown distance, 'riicre are nostreanis of any importance in the iin 
mediate ueighborhood of I'oint Uarniw. On the other hand, three of 
the rivers emptying into the Arctic Ocean between I'oint I'.anow ami 
the Colville, which Dr. Simpson speaks of as ••small and liaidly known 
except to persons who have \isited them." ' lia\c been found to be con- 
siderable streams. Two of these were visited by Lieut. K'a.s in his ex- 
ploring trips in 18.S2 and ISS.-!. The first. Kua'ru. is reached alter trav- 
eling about 50 miles from Point Harrow in a southerly diiection. It 
has been traced only for a small part of its course, and there is i-eason 
to believe, from what the natives say, that it is a tributary of the sec- 
ond named river. Lieut. Hay visited the uiiiici- part of the second 
river, Kulugrua {named by him •■.Meade River"), in March, Iss:.', when 
he went out to join the native deer huiiters encamped on its banks. Just 
on the edge of the hilly conntrv. On his return he visited what the 
natives assured him was the month of this river, and obtained observa- 
tiims for its geographical iiosition. Early in Aiiril. ISS.;. he again vis 
ited the upper i.ortion of the stream, and tiaced it back some distance 
into the hilly country. The intermediate portion has never been sur 

veyed. .\t the ti feach of his visits the river was, of course, frozen 

and the ground covered with snow, Imt he was aide to see that the 
river was of considerable size, upwards of L'OO yards wide where he tirst 
reached it, about <J0 mil.'s from its mouth, and showing evidences of a 
large volume of water in the spring. It receives several tributaries. (See 
maps, Fls. i and ii.) 

The third river is known only by hearsay from the natives. It is 
called I'kpikpiul (dreat Clitf ). and is about 10 miles (cstimat..d from 
day's journevs) east of Ivulu'griia. It is dcscribcil as being a larger and 
morerapul stream than the other two. and so deep that it docs not 
fi-eeze down to the bottom on the shallow bars, as they say Kulu'grua 
does. Not far from its mouth it is said to receive a tributar.\- from 
the east flowing out of a great lake of fresh water, .'ailed Ta'syukpun 
(Great Lake.) This lake is separated from the^ea by a^'om paratively 

■Oil. cit., !>. 233. 



30 IlIK I'UINT liAKIJoW i:sKIM(). 

iKirnw striii ot' land, and is sd lai.^t- that a man standing on the uorth- 
eiii shore can not sec the •• very high" land on the southern. It takes 
an umiak a day to tra\el the length of tlie lake under sail with a fair 
wind, and when the N'nnataunuun coming from the south first saw the 
laketliey said "Taxaio!" (tin- sea). 

On Capt. Magnire's luaii' this lake is laid down by the name 
"Taso'kpoli" '•from natixc report." It is represented as lying between 
Smith Hay and Harrison Bay, and eouueeted witli each by a stream. 
Maguire .seems to Inive heard nothing of Ikpikpuu. This lake is not 
mentioned in the Ixxly of the report. Dr. Simjisou, however,^ .speaks of 
it in the following words: "They [i. e.. tlie trading parties when they 
reach Smith Bay | enter a river which conducts them to a lake, or rather 
series of lakes, and descend another stream which Joins the sea iu Har- 
ri.son Bay." They are well aequainted with the Colville River, which in 
their intercourse \vitli us they usually called "the river at Ni'galek," 
Nl'galek being the well known name of the trading camp at the mouth. 
It was also sometimes spoken of as the "river of the Nnnataumiun." 
The Mackenzie Eiver is known as "Kupufl" (great river). We found 
them also a((iuainted with the large unexplored river called '•Kok"ou 
the maps, which Hows into Waiuwright 1 nlet. They called it " Ku" (the 
river). The river '•Cogrua," which is laid down on the charts as empty- 
ing into Peard Bay, was never mentioned by the Point Barrow natives, 
but we were informed by Capt. Gitford, of the whaler Daniel Webster, 
who traveled along the (;oast from Point Barrow to Cape Li.sburne after 
the loss of his vessel in 1S81, that it is quite a considerable stream. He 
had to ascend it for about a day's journey — '20 miles, according to Capt. 
Hooper-' — ^before he found it shallow enougli to ford. 

CLIMATE. 

The climate of this region is thonmghly arctic in character, the mean 
annual temperature being S^ F., ranging from 65° to —52° F. Such 
temperatures as the last mentioned are, however, rare, the ordinary 
winter temperature being between — 20° and —.30° F., rarely rising 
during Det'cmber, January, February, and March as high as zero, and 
still more rarely passing beyond it. The winter merges insensibly by 
slow degrees into sununer, with occasional "cold snai)s," and frosty 
nights begin again by tin- 1st of Septend)er. 

The sun is entirely below the horizon at Point Barrow for 72 days in 
the winter, beginning November 15, though visible by refraction a day 
oi two later at the beginning of this period and a day or two earlier at 
the end. The midday darkness is never complete even at the winter 
solstice, as the sun is such a short distan<-e below the horizon, but the 
time suitable for outdoor employments is limited to a short twilight 
fr<jm !) a. in. to ."> \). m. Theie is, of course, an equal time in the .summer 

'Pari. Rep., 1854, vol. 42, opp. p. 186. 'Qp. cit., p. 265. 'Corwin Report, p. 72. 



ML-RDorn.] CI.IMATK. 31 

when the sun is .•uiifiiiu;.lly al.ov.^ th.' li.ni/oii, -.uu] for alimil m m„,miIi 
before auil after this pciimi the twiliylit is sd hriylii all iii"lil tin! 
stars are visibh-. 

The snowfall (luring- tlic winttT is (■(iniparaiisch small 'nicir is 
probably not more tliaii a fnot ,,f siKiwdii a li'xcl aiivwInTc on the liml 
though it is extremely .lirticult to measnie or estimair. as ii is s.Miiie 
ami dry that it is easily moved by tli.' wind and is coasiantlv in moiio,,. 
fornHlig- deep, heavy, hard drifts under all the hanks, while irian\ e\" 
posed places, e.specially tlie toj. of the sand 1iea<-li. are swept enlireh 
cleau. The snow begins to soft.'n and melt about the ijrst week in 
April, but goes oft' very slowly, so that the jiToniid is not wholh bare 
before the middle or end of June. The grass, howexi-i. be-ins to turti 
green early in June, and a few flowers are seen in blossom as earh as 
June 7 or 8. 

Rain begins to fall as early as April, but cold, snowy days are not un- 
common later than that date. There is a good deal of clear, ealm weather 
during the winter, aud extremely low temiierarnres are seldom aceom 
panied by high wind. Vi(dent storms are not uiicomnKm. liowcvcr 
especially in November, during the latter ])art of January, and in Feb- 
ruary. One gale from the south and southwest, which occurred .lanuarv 
22, 1882, reached a velocity of KM) miles an hour. The most aureeable 
season of the year is between the middle of May and the end oi .luly, 
when the sea opens. After this there is much foggy and clouds weather. 

Fresh-water ponds begin to ft-eeze about the last week in Septemlier, 
and by the first or second week in October everything is sntticiently 
frozen for the natives to travel with sledges to tish through the ice of 
the inland rivers. .Melting begins with the thaw ing of the snow . l)ut the 
larger jKtnds are not clear of ice till the middle or end of July. The sea 
in most seasons is ])ermanently closed l>y ticezing and the moving in of 
heavy ice lields from about tiu- middle of October to the end of .luly. 
The heavy i<-e in ordiiuiry seasons does not move ver.\- far fiom the shore, 
while the sea is more or less encumbered with floating masses all summer. 
These usually grouml on a bar which runs liom the Seahorse Islands 
along the shore paiallcl to it ami about l.OOO yards distant, forming a 
"barrier" or "lan<l-floe" of high. l)rokeu hummocks, inshore of wLieh 
the sea freezes over smooth ami niidisttirbed by the jiressurc of the 
outer ])a(-k. 

Sometinu's, however, the heavy pack, under the pressure of violent and 
long-continued westerl\- winds, pushes across the bar and is forced u)> 
on the beach. Tiie ice sometitm-s comes in with gr<-at rapidity. The 
natives itdbrmed us that a year or two before the station was estal>lislicd 
the heavy ice came in against the village clifls. tearing away i.art of the 
baidv and destroying a house on the edge of the .liff so sudd.'idy that 
one of the inmates, a large, stout man, was unable to escajic through the 
trap-door and was crushed to death. Outside of the land-floe the ice is 
a broken pack, c(msi.stiug of hummocks of fragmentary old ami new ice, 
inters])ersed with com])aratively level flelds of the formei-. During the 



6Z THK I'OINT HAKROW KSKIMO. 

oaiiy 11:111 1)1' till' wiiitiT tliis jtai-U is most of the tiiiir in iiiotioii, some- 
tiinrs iiii)\iii.<; iiiiirlii-astwiinl \\'\t\\ tlie previiiliiig cuiTcut and grmdiug 
all inn till' I'lli;^ of till' bariiiT. soiiictiines moving ofi' to sea before an off- 
sIiiph' wiiiil. Ifaxiiiu •■ leads" of iipi'ii water, wliicli in calm weather are 
imiiicdiarcly roviTcd with new ii-i' (at the rate of C) inches in 24 hours), 
and aj^aiii coming in with greater or less violiMicc against the edges of 
this new ice, .-nishing and crumpling it up against the barrier. Portions 
of the land-rtoe even tloat off and move away with the pack at this season. 

The westerly gales of the later winter, liowever, bring in great quan- 
tities of ice. which, incssing against the land-floe, are pushed up into 
hum mucks and ground tirndy in deeper water, thus increasing the breadth 
of tiic (ixi'il land tloc until the line of separation between the hmd-floe 
aud the moving pack is 4 or 5 or sometimes even 8 miles from land. The 
hummocks of the land Hoe show a tendency to arrange themselves in 
lines parallel to the shore, and if the pressure has not been too great 
there are often fields of ice of the season not over 4 feet thick between 
the ranges of hummocks, as was the case in the winter of 1881-'82. In 
the following year, howexer, the )>ressure was so great that there were 
no such fleUls, and even the level ice inside of the barrier was crushed 
into hummocks in many places. 

After the gales are over there is generally less motion in the pack, 
until about the middle of April, when easterly winds usually cause 
leads to open at the edge of the land-floe. These leads now continue to 
open and shut, varying in size with the direction and force of the wind. 
As the season advances, esiiecially in July, the melting of tlie ice on 
the surface h)0sens portions of the land-floe, which float ottanil join the 
pack, bringing the leads nearer to the shore, i u the meantime the level 
shore ice has been cut away from the beach by the warm water running 
down from the bind and has grown "rotten" aud full of hoh's from the 
heat of the sun. By the time the outside ice has moxcd away so as to 
leave only the floes grounded on the bai- the inside ice breaks uj) into 
loose masses, moving up and down with wind and current and ready 
to move oft' through the tirst break in the barrier. Portions of the re- 
maining barrier gradually break oft' and at last the whole tiually floats 
and moves out with the i)ack, sometimes, as in ISSl — a \ er> remarkable 
season — moving out of sight from the laud. 

This final departure of the ice may take jilace at any time between 
the middle of .July and the middle of August. East of Point Harrow 
we had opportunities only for hasty and superti.ial observations of the 
state of the ice. The land floe apjiears to form some distance outside 
of the .sandy islands, and from the account of the natives there is much 
open water along shore early in the season, caused by the breaking up 
of the rivers. I>r. Sim|)son' learned from the natives that the trading 
parties which left the Point about the l.st of July found open water at 
Deasc Inlet. This is more detinite information than we were able to 
obtain. We only learned that they counted on tiuding open water a 
few days' journey east. 



IIAKACTKIUSTIC; 



THE PEOPLE. 
I'lIYSICAL (lIAlIACI'l-.KMsriCS. 

Ill Stature tlifs<' pcopl.' -aw of a uicdinni lici-lil, n.hust, and luiis.ailar, 
"iiicliiiiii.i;- lather to sparciicss than cori.iih'iicr;' - thduf^li llic liillncss 

(,f the face and the ttiick fur clothiii.i;- oltcn -ivcs the iiiipicssi( f 

till- hitter. Th<-re is, however. eonsi(h'i'alde inilh idiial \aiiali<iii anion- 
tlielii ill this respect. Tlie woim.mi are as a rnh' shortei' than the men, 
oeeasioiially almost dwarlisli. thoii-h some women aie (nller than many 
of the men. Tlie tallest man observed measnred .-, feet <M iiielies, ;,ih1 
the shortest 4 feet 1 1 inches. The tallest woman was .-. feet ;! inches in 
hei-ht, and the shortest 4 feef }, inch. The heaviest man wei-hed L'()4 
l.oiinds and the lis^htest V2r, pounds. ( )nr womau weighed J'.)- ponnds 
and the shintest woman was also the lightest, weighing only l(l(» ponnds.' 
The hands and feet are snndl and well shaped, though the lorm.T scm.h 
heconie distorted and roughened l,y work. AVe did not ol)serve the 
l)ecnliar Incadth of hands noticed l.y Dr. >Siiiii)son, nor is the shortness 
of the thnnd) which he mentions sufticieuf to attra<-t attention.' Their 
feet ai'c so small that only one of our i>arty, who is inncli below the 
ordinary size, was able to wear the boots made by the natives for tln'in 

characteristic of the Kskimo raci' and ha\c been mentioned b\- most 
obs..rvers from Greenland to .\laska.' 

The teaturesof these iieo|)le have been described by Dr. Siinpson,« 
and are distinctively P^skimo in type, as will be seen by comparing 
the accompanyiug portraits (Figs. 1, l', ;;, and 4, from iiimtographs by 
Lieut. Kay) with the niaiiy pictures brouglit from the eastern Arctic 



' Op. eit., p. 264. 

'Simpson, op. <it.. p. 238. 

3SocK«i>ort of Point Barrow Kxp.-.lili..,,, ,,, .",0, l,,i ;, t;,l.l. ..I mmiimii. 

Tidual-s sc-li-rti-il at random from tli.- iiatu. ^ "I l...tli villai;, ^ ;nHl lli. ir \i,i{n) 

lOp. eit., p. 2:i8. 

'Davis (1586) spBaltM of tin- "small, sl.ii.lc r hands iiml Id ' "I lli. dr., nh 
gcs, etc. (1589), p. 782. 

"Their hands and feet air lilil.' .mii .s..n. " Craiitz. vol. 1, p. i:):i (laicnlaii 

Hands and feet ••ratrcnud.v diiniiHith.." I'any 1st V,,,., ,,. -J.s.' il'.allh, L.-i 

"Their l.amU and fn-t an. small and u.ll toiin.,!,' Kiimli. n r„„li il. , p, 1 

"Fe.-t extraordinarily small.' KIHm, V,.>a-,-. .1. -, v l::j ( IIi..N"ii Sln.ill. 

Franklin (l»l Kxp., vol. 2, p. 180) m. nlinns tl... small hands and f. .t .d lli. 
met at the lUoody ■•'all of the C.piiermin.- Kiv.r. 

Searching Exp., i. i' ai .c,,|.. l;ailiurst). 

"Their hands and I. - l .m ^mall," PetrotT, Eeport, etc., p. 134 (Knskoquii 

Chappell (nnd.s.,11 r.ay, |.|., r.!i, 11(1) has a remarkahle theory to aceonnt 

extremities anion;,' the jieople of Hudson Strait. He believes that "the 

restricts vef;etati<m to the form of creeping shrubs has also its eUeet upon 

prevcntini; the extremities from attaining their due proportion" ! 

'Op.cit., p. 238. 

y ETU 3 



3-i 



rilK I'UINT liAKKDW K.SKIMO. 




r»:. 1 -ITualiiiii, a iiiuu .if Nuwuk. 



I'llVSICAl, CIIAIJAc 



35 



regions by various cxiiloicis, some ol' which ini-lii c^isily j.ass Inr |M.r 
traits of persons of our acquaiulancc at i'oiiit {'.arrow.' 

The face is broad, thit, and round, witli hii;h chrcU l.onrs and laihcr 
lo^- fiuchcad. broad ai-ross tlic brow ami narrowing above, uhil.^ ih.- 
head is somewhat pointed toward tlic crown. 'I'ljc pecuhar sha|ie of the 




head is - ewhat masked b\ tliew.n ot \\.,inn- the liaii.and is l)est 

seen in tiie skull. Tlie nose is shoit, \Mth iitti. oi no Innl^c I. u Kski 

mo weie able to weai oui spun;; e\e ulass, ^i, ,iiid 1 1 cs|i((ially 

across the al.e uas.u, with a pei uliai loumbd.s (wh.ii hnibons tip. 



' One yoiiiiK 111 iu.it I'mnt Iiimi« liwks rLiuirkibh liki tUi «i.ll kno«u I ■-kiiii 
ber him in Boston ia tliu wiuter of 1863-'63. 



36 



I'lIE 



•UlNT BAKK'OW ESKIMO. 



and largi iiostiils Tla iMs u. li"ii 
arc but slulitl\ simkdi lit low tli. I. \( 
The inoulli IS In^( iikI tli. lips In 
tfcthairnitni ilh lii^. md m \imtl 
Imt h.viiiKlilN u« Ili< \ 111 -I IK I ill\ « 
as is usual iiuou^ tin I skiiuo 1 lu (o 



nitil ' \\itli 1 itlur full lids, and 

ot tll( tH( 

(spKiilh tli( nndei oiif. The 
ii( wliiti and ntntiallv regular, 
1 H (low u to tl it (low U( (1 stumps, 
1 ol tli( skill IS 1 li^lit ycll(.\visli 




bnnvu, with often (considerable ruddy color un the cheeks and lips. 
There appears to be much natural variation iu the complexion, some 
women being nearly as fair as Europeans, while other individnals seem 
to have naturally a cojipeiy color.' Iu most cases the complexion ap- 
pears darker tliaii it ivally is IV t lie cirecls of exposure to the weather. 

All sunburn very easily, especially in the spring when there is a strong 
reflection from the snow. 

' The expression of obliquity in the eyes, incntion(-(l by Dr. Simpson (op. cit., p. 239), seems to me to 
h.avo arisen from the shape of the cheek bones. 1 may be mistaken, however, as no careful compari- 
sons were made on the spot. 

' Frobisher says of the people of Baffin Land : " Their colour is not much unlike the sunburnt countrle 
man." Hakluyfs Voyages, etc. (1589), p. 627. 



I'HVSICAI 



[\i;A<"n:i;is'i 



'M 



The old .111 iniK li winikl, ,1 ,iul tli(\ (k,,,,, iill\ siui,, i,,,,, 
ejes, \Mth ln<,( v u ks inid, i ii,, m x\|||,|il)( m td lo 

tl\»h (<lll\ U' lll( U IS (Olisid, I |1,1, \ 11 nil, ,11 1,1 I, |ti||(s' '' 

t(.iii].l( \ioii iiiHnu tlHiii ( \. n Ml , imsuIhm tl„n Mniisioir 

I>i<i t iiii\(d liliMid ili( 1. u, i( s( \,i il in, ,1 II II ^ 

cid(d ii|iulni( iios(s ind soim tliiii^ ol , ||,|,i,u , ,^1 oi ,,,||,,i 




Tlioo\(s IK of \ uioiis shuhs (.t d uk l.io«ii— two pill sot hjit In/(I 
(■,\.s\\(i( ,,l,s. i\<d_iiid IK oftdi II indsdiiu Ili( Inn isI.IkK, pd 

fKth stMI^llt llld \.1\ lllKk Wlthth, 111(11 It IS ^,11,1 llh ,,M1SCI 

tlloiull It ^(IM I lll\ dois ll(,l 1. Hll iiiiuli ImIou rli( simuldlls llu (\, 

blows IK tliiii llld till lit lids, iiii\ ^lowiii^ iiioslh upon tin u|i|)ii 

lip and ( Inn ind s, l,l,,iii i|i| n, n idi i tli. 1,1 ot -M) liitliistluN 

reseuihli most I skiiiio l.uk' liowtsd sin iks ot tin luMiuaut 



I). 289. 



.^K THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

hoards and tiowiiiji iiiustaclies" of the Eskimoof tlip Great Fisli River. 
Sdiiic (it the (ihhT men have nithcr lieavy hhick imistaehes, Imt there is 
iiiueh variation in this resjieet. Tlie upper part ot tlie body (as much 
is commonly exposed in tlie house) is remarkably tree from hair. The 
general exi^ression is good humored and attractive. 

The males, even when very young, are remarkalile for their jjraeeful 
and dionifled carriage. The body is held erect, with the shoulders 
square and chest well thrown out, the knees straight, and the feet firmly 
planted on the ground. In walking they move with long swinging elas- 
tic strides, the toes well turned out and the arms swinging. 

I can not agree with Dr. Simpson that the turning out of the toes 
gives " a certain peculiarity to their gait dififlcult to describe." ' 1 should 
say that they walked like well built athletic white men. The women, 
on the other hand, although possessing good physiques, are singularly 
ungraceful in their movements. They walk at a sort of shuffling half- 
trot, with the toes turned in, the body leaning forward, and the arms 
hanging awkwardly.^ 

A noticeable thing about the women is the remarkable flexibility of 
the body and limbs, and the great length of time they can stand in a 
stooping posture. (See I'ig. ."> for a posture often assumed in working.) 




Both men and women have a very fair share of muscular strength. 
Some of the women, especially, showed a power of carrying heavy loads 
superior to most white men. We were able to make no other compari- 
sons of llieir stienjith \\\t\i ours. Their powt-r of endurance is very 
great, and botii sc\c^ an- capable of making long distances on foot. 
Two men sometime-< sjhmuI L'I Ihhiis tramping tliroiigh the lonyii ice in 
search of seals, and we knew of instances where small panics made 
journeys of 50 or 75 miles on foot without stopping to sleep. 

The women are not prolific. Although all the adults are or have been 
married, many of them are childless, and few have more than two chil- 
dren. One woman was known to have at least four, but investigations 
of this sort were rendered extremely difficult by the universal custom 

' Op. cit., p. 238. ' Cf. Simpson, op. cit.. p. 240. 



MURDOCH] PHYSICAL CUAKACTKKISTICS. 39 

of adoption. IJr. Simpson licanl of a ••rare case" where oiii> woiiiaii liad 
borne seven children.' We heanl of no twins ai eiilier village, i|]oiil;Ii 
we obtained the Eskimo word for fwins. It was impossihle to leaiii 
with certainty the aj^c at wiiieh tlie women lirst hear children, from Hie 
impossibility of learn in f; the a.^e of any imli\idnals in the alisenee of 
any fixed Jiu'thod of reekonini; time. l»i'. Simpson states that tlie\ do 
not commonly bear children before the a.^c of LM(,' and \\f eeiiainly saw 
no mothers who app<'are(l yonnncr than tliis. We knew df Imt ii\-e cases 
of pregnancy in the two viila.ues dnrin.;;' the L.' years of our stay. (»f 
these, one suffered miscarria.ue, and of the other fonr. only two of the 
infants lived more than a slnnttime. it is exe.'edin.uiy dinicuit, foi' the 
reasons stated above, to form any estimate ol' tlie a.^c to which th<'se 
people live, thougii it is mitnral to sniipose that tiie arduons and olten 
precarious existem'c wliich tliey lead mnst prevent any great longevity. 
Men and women who apjieared to be ()() or over were rare. Vuksi'fia, 
the .so-called -chief" of XnwuU. who was old enou-li to 1... a man of 
considerabl.' inflnenee at the time the /'/orry wintered at I'oiiit liarrow 
(1852-'54), was in ISSj a feeld.'. liowed. tofterin.';- old man. very deaf 
and almost bliml, but with his mental faculties ap|)arently unimpaired. 
Gray hair appears unconuaou. Kven the (thh'st arc, as a rule, but 
slightly gray. 

rATHOLOGY. 

Diseases of the respiratory ami digestive organs are the most freciucnt 
and serious ailments from which they suffer. The former are most 
prevalent toward the end of sumniei' and early in winter, and are due 
to the natives sleeping on the dam), ground and to their extreme care- 
lessness in exposing themselves to dralts of wind when overheated. 
Nearly everyone sntfers from coughs and c.ilds in the latter part of 
August, and many dcatiis occur at this season and the beginning of 
wint^^r from a disease which ajipcars to Ix- pneumonia. A few cases, 
one fatal, of hemorrhage of the lungs were observed, which wer.> jiroba 
bly aggravat.'d by th.- univ<'rsal liiibit of inhaling tobacco smoke. The 
pcoiile suffer from diarrhea, indigestion, and especially from constiiia- 
tion. 

Gonorrhea ai)i>ears cimunou in both sexes, but syphilis seems to be 
unknown in spite of the pronnscuous intercour.se of the women with tlie 
whalemen. One case of utcrim' henu)rrhage was observed. ( 'ntancoiis 
diseases are rare. A severe ulcer on the leg, of long standing, was cured 
by our surgeon, to who.se observations 1 am chielly indebted tor what 1 
have to say about the diseases of these people : and one man had losf 
the cartilage of his nose and was markeil all over the body with hideous 
scars from what appeared to be sonu' tbrm of scrofulous disease. A 
single ca.se of tum.u- on the <hdtoid mus.de was observd. Kheumatism 
is rather trnpu-nt. All are suljject to snow blimlness in the spring, and 

'Op.cit., p. 254. ' ^Op.cit. p.254. 



40 THE POINT BAKKUW ESKIMO. 

soios OH The face f'niiii iieff](>cte(l frost bites are common. iNIniiy are 
blind in one eye tioiii \vb;it a|i]ieais to be cataiact or leucoma, but only 

o 'ase ol'c plele lilindiirss was not iccil. l>r. Siitlierlaml states that 

lie does nor vecolle<-t a siii<;le instance of total l)liiKlness among the 
I'",sidino tliat in' saw in IJattin Land, and expresses the opinion that "An 
individual in such a state would l)e (luite unlit for the life of toil and 
hardshij) to which the hardy Ks(iuiniaux is ex])osed. The ne<;lect eon- 
se(pH'nt upon this helpless condition most probably cuts off its attiicted 

This seems (piite reasonable on a jiriori gi-ounds. but novertlieles.s the 
blind man at ('ajic Sniytli had lived to middle a-c in very comfortable 
cireumstan<-cs. and Iliou.uli supjiorted to a urcat extent by his relatives 
he was uevcrtlieless able to do a certain share of work, ami had the 
rejiutation of bciui; a ticod paddler for a whalinj; umiak. 

Injuries are larc ( )ne man had lost both feet at the ankle and moved 
about with -real ease and rapidity on his knees. All are sul)ieet to 
blecdin- at the nose and usually phi- the bleedin.u nostril with a bunch 
of deer hair.- 

This habit, as it has been termed, of vicarious hemorrhage seems to 
lie characteristic of the Kskimo race wherever they have been met with, 
and has been supiiosed to be a jirocess of natur<' for relieving tin' full- 
ness of the circulatory system caused by their exclusively animal dii't.-' 

Natural deformith's and abnormalities of structure ar<' uncommon, 
except sti'abisnnrs. which is eonimon and often, at least, cou.ucnital. ( )ne 
l)oy in I'tkiavwin had his forein^ad twisted to one side, probably from 
s.ane accident or dithculty dnrin- delivery. His intelligence did not 
seem to be imiiaired. The people are, as a rule, right handed, but that 
lelt-handed jiersons occasionally oc(Mir is shown by their having a word 
for a lelt handed man. We also collected a -crooked knife,'" htted for 
use witli the left hand.' 

PSYCHIC A I. CIIAKACTEinSTICS. 

As a rule they are quick-wirted and intelligent, and show a great 
capacity for appreciating and learning useful tilings, especially mechan- 
ical arts. In disposition they are light hearted and cheerful, not easily 
cast down by sorrow or misfortune, and though sometimes quicktera- 
liered, their anger seldom lasts long.-' They have a very keen sen.se of 
humor, and are fond of practical Jokes, which they take in good part, 



' Jouni. Etlmol, Soc. vol. 4. p. 206. 

s Compare wlmt Diivis wrote in 1586 of the Grpeul.->niler.s : "These people are much given to lileert, 
ami, therefore, stoppe thcyr noses with doere hayre or tlie hiiyre of an ehiu." Hakluyt, Voyages, ete., 
1089. p. 782. 

' Egcilo, GreenUind, p. 120; Cr,antz, vol. 1, p. 234 (Greenland) ; Southerland. Journ. Ethnol. Soc., vol. 
IV. p. 207 (Baffin Land); <')ia]>pell. "Hudson Bay." p- 74 (Xorth Shore of Hudson Stnait) ; Lyon, 
.lournal, p. 1^ .Un.K..ii siiv.ili K.-mlliii l»t )'.i. \ ,, -"i (Hudsou Strait); Pilrry. 2d Toy., p. 544 

4 1 liavc ;ii 1 1 I I' I ' ' I !: I -I ' '■' iiimU'd person from Nuwuk. 

'Holm i-;ilU I li I .1- li ■ j.iLi.liLii I ..IK, 1,1 id'' Geogr. Tidskrift, vol. H, p. 96. 



MURDocn) PSYCHICAL CIIAKACTEKISTICS. 41 

even when practiced on themselves. '|'|i,.y aiv ucncially peiccahic 
We (lid uotwitness a sinokMiuarrel aiiKni- Ih.' men dining the tu,, ve-irs 
of our stay, thonjih tliey told us stoiirs of faial (|iiaiTcls in lonucr vcais 
in whieli firearms were used. iai|Uor nia\ lia\c Ipcm ilic i-ausc di' iliesi' 

fiS'llts, as it is said to iia\e hccii of tli< ly suicide I e\cr lieaiii of 

anion};- tliem, wliieji I am inlornicd li\ ('a|it. !•;. !•;. Smiili the ulidiii"- 
master already relencd to, oeeurivd in IS.s:, at Nuwiik. I )isai;TeefMents 
between nuin and wife, liowever. sdmctimes lead to hli.ws. in whieli the 
man does not always i^et tiie best of it. 

When the station was tirst establislied many of the natives be-an 
l)ilferin.i;- from our stores, but rliey soon learned that iiv so doinu Ihfv 
eat tliemselves otf from the privilesc of visitin.i;- tlie station ami enjoNin- 
the oi)i)ortunity for tradin.i;- which it atfoided. and were -lad to promise 
to refrain from the practice. This promise was verv well obsei\ed. 
though I think wholly from feelin.i^s of self-interest, as the thieves when 
detei'ted seemed to have no feelinj;- of shame. Some, I believe, never 
yielded to the tem|)tatiou. There was seldom any diftieulty inobtaininu' 
restitution of stoh-n arti(des, as the thiefs comrades wouhl not attempt 
to shi(dd him, but often voluntarily betrayed him. They aekiiowled-vd 
that there was eonsi(leral)le thievin-du board of the ships, but the men 
of rtkiavwin tried to lay the blame on the Nuwrd< people, ami we may 
sii|)iiose that the charjic was reciprocated, as was the casi' re-ardin.i; 
the theft of the /7<>rr/'\ sails.' We also heard of occasional thefts 
amonji- themselves, es])ecially of seals lelt <ni the ice or venison burii'd 
in the snow, but men who were said to be thieves did not appear to lose 
any social consideiation. 

Robbery with violence ajipears to be ludcnown. We never saw oi- 
heard of the -bur-lar alarm" described by Or. Simjison,- which I am in 
<;lined to believe was really a "demon trap" like that described bv 
Lieut. May (see below, under Keli-ion). 

They are in the main truthful, thoii.nh a detecti'd lie is hardly con 

sidered m.U'e than a u: 1 Joke, and consideral)le trickery is practiced in 

tradin^r. Fi>v instance, soon alter the station was established they 
broujiht over the carcass of a clo-, with the skin, h. 'ad, feet, and tail 
remoNcd, and attempted to sell it for a youn,';- reindeer; and when we 
be.nan to purchase seal oil for the lamps one woman brou.yht over a tin 
can neaily tilled with ice, with merely a layer of oil on top. 

Clothin- anil othei' aitides made .vsiKrially for sale to us were often 
very carelessly and hastily made, while their own thin.i;s were always 
carefully linishe.l.^ 

Their atfection for each other, es])ecially for tlnar children, is stronJ,^ 

20|>. cit.. p. 247. 



I II Ciiit. limlny lisLs 



4"J TIIK POINT HAHIJOW ESKIMO. 

thoiifili tlR'.v iiiak«' littl.' sliiiw of .uricf tor l.t'icavciiiciit, and their minds 
iire easily diverk'd by anuiseiiiciits. I am iucliued U> believe, liowev'er, 
from some cases I have observed, that grief is deei)er and more perma- 
nent than superficial appearances would indicate. 

Their curiosity is unbounded, and they have no hesitation in gratify- 
ing it by unlimited questioning. All who have read the accounts of the 
Eskimo character given by explorers in other i)arts of the Arctic regions 
will recognize this as a familiar trait. We also found the habit of 
begging at first quite as offensive among some of these ])eople as other 
travelers have found it, T)ut as they grew better acquainted with us they 
ceased to l)eg exec])! for trifling things, .such as a chew of tobacco or a 
match. Some of the better class never begged at all. Some of them 
s.'emed to feel truly grateful for the l)enefits and gilts received, and en- 
deavored by their geiii'ral beliavior. as well as in iiioic substantial ways 
to make some adequate return. ( )tliers appeared to think only of what 
they might receive. 

Hosx)itality is a universal virtue. Many of them, from the beginning 
of our acquaiutance with them, showed the greatest friendliTiess and 
willingness to assist us in every way, while others, especially if there 
were many of them together, were inclined to be insolent, and knives 
were occasionally drawn in sudden fits of passion. These "roughs," 
however, soon learned that beha\ior of this sort was iiunished by prompt 
ostracism and threats of severer discipline, and before the first nine 
months were past we had established the most fi-iendly relations with the 
wliole village at Cape Smyth. Some of those who were at first most 
iiis<ileiit became atterwards our best friends. Living as these people 
do at jieare witli ilieir iieigliliors, they would not be expected to exhibit 
tile lieree martial eourage of many other savages, but bold whalemen 
' and venturous ice hunters can not be said to lack bravery. 

, In their dealings with white men the richer and more influential 
ly among them at least consider themselves their equals if not their supe- 
riors, and they do not appreciate the attitude of arrogant superiority 
adopted by many white men in their intercourse with so-called savages. 
Many of them show a urace of manner and a natural delicacy and polite- 
ness whieli IS i|uilr sinprising. I have known a young lOskimo so polite 
that in conversing with Lieut. Kay he would take pains to mispronounce 
his words in the same way as the latter did, so as not to hurt his feelings 
by correcting him bluntly.' 

TRIBAL I'lIKNOMENA. 

We were unable to discover among these people the slightest trace of 
tribal organization or of division into geutes, and in this our observa- 
tions agree with those of all who have studied the Eskimos elsewhere. 
They call themselves as a race "In'uiu," a term corresponding to the 



not to correct but to adopt the 
made oa the Vega." 



MURDOCH.] TKIBAL I'UKNOMKNA. 43 

"Imiit" of other dialects, ami iiicaniii.i;- "iicoiilc," or ••Innuaii lifiiit,'s." 
Under tlil.s name they iiiclu(U' wliitc iiicnand Imliaus as well as Ivskimo, 
as is the case in Greenland and tlie iMacken/.ie River district, and proh 
ably also everywhere else, thongh iiiaiiy writers have supposed it to he 
applied by them only to their own race. 

They have however special names tin the loriner two races. Tlie 
people of any village are known as '-the iaiial)itaiits of sneli and such 
a place;" for instance, NuwuTiininn, "tlu^ inhal)itants of (lie [loint;" 
Utkiavwinmiun, "the inhabitants of Utkiavwin;" Kuniiiiun (in (Ireen- 
landic '•Kunymint"), "the people who live on the river.'' Tlie iieojdc 
about Xorton Sonnd speak of the northern Eskimo, especially those of 
Point Barrow and Cape Smyth, as " Kiiumii'dhn,'' wiiich is imt a name 
derived from a location, bnt a sort of nickname, the meaninj;()f whicli 
was not ascertained. The Point Marrow natives do not call tliemselves 
by this name, bnt ai)ply it to those people whose winter villaj;-e is at 
Demarcation Point (or Ilerschel Island, see aboxc, p. 2(>). Tiiis word 
appears in the corrnpti'd form "Kokmnllit," as the name of the village 
at Nuwuk on Petroff's map. Petroff derived his information rei;'ardin<; 
the northern coast at second-hand from people who had obtained their 
knowledge of names, etc., Horn the natives of Norton Sonnd. 

The i)eople of the two villages under consideration frecjuently go back- 
ward and forward, sometimes removing permanently from one village to 
the other, while strangers from distant villages sometimes winter here, 
so that it was not until the end of the second year, when we were inti 
mately accinainted with everyljody at Utkiavwin, that we could form 
anything like a correct estimate of the population of this village.' 
This we found to be about 140 souls. As well as we conhl judge, there 
were about I."<(l or UiO at Nuwfdv. These figures show a great d(>crease 
in nnud)ers since the end of l.S5o, when Dr. Simpson- reckoned the pop- 
ulation of Xuwi'ik at 309. During the 2 years from September, 1881, to 
August, 188;{, there were fifteen deaths that we heard of in the village 
of rtkiavwifi alone, and only two children born in that period survived. 
With this ratio helween the nund)er of l)irths and deaths, even in a 
period of comi)arative i)lenty, it is ditticnlt to see how the race can es- 
cape s|)ee(ly extinction, unless by accessions from with(jut, which in their 
isolated situation they are not likely to receive.^ 

SOCIAL SrUKOUNDINGS. 
<-oNT.\CT WITH rNrlVILIZKI> ITOPLE. 

Other Eskimo.— T\w nearest neighbors of tliese people, as has been 
stated above, are the Eskimo living at Demarcation Point (or Ilerschel 

■See ■•Approxira.lte Census, etc.,- lieiM.rt of Point B.irrow Esp.. p. 49. 

3pr.™r;'eBHLte (Report, ,■.,■., ,., 4, ,.r .l,- nuu.ber of n.ttives on this part of the Arctic coast is 

z^r™:;^;i:::::;:;i'7nK:;::n,,::;:t'::i"K;n 

ment of 50 inliabilauts at Ih" Ccilvilli' Kivir isal-o a mere sumiuer caiup. no exis jiig i 



44 THK POINT liAKKOW ESKIMO. 

Island), casrwanl, ami tliosc who inhabit tlic small villages liptAveen 

her. The m-airsl to I'ltint l!i'li-hcr, Nuua'ria, is now (Icscrtfd. and its 
inliahilantshavccstahlishcd tlic new villag(M)f Sida'ni m-.m-v the inlet. 
The third villa.uv consists of a Tew houses only, and is called A'tfine. 
The people of these villa.^vs aiv so closely eoiiiieeted that they are sonie- 
tinn-s s|.oken of e(.lleeti\cly as Siila'rnnmiiin. At a distance np the 
river, which Hows into Wain wri.i;hl lidet, live the Ku'Dmiuu, "the peo- 
ple who live on the river." These appear to be closely related to the 
]ieo))le of the hist village below \\ainwri};lit Inlet, which is named 
KlIanwitaNi'lM. \t any rate, a ]iart\- of them who came to Gape Smyth 
in the sprin.i; of is.s;! were si)oken of indirt'erently as Kuuminu or Kll- 
auwitawlTimiun. 

Small parties from all the villa.u'cs occasionally visit Toint Barrow 
during;- the winter for the i)uriiose of trade anil amnsement, traveling 
with sled-es aloiij; the lan.l ice when' it is smooth, otherwise aloiis' the 
edne of theclitfs; and similar |)artics from tlie two northern villa.u'es 
return these visits. No speiaal article of trad.' appears to be soiioht at 

supply of skins of the bearded seal, tit for makin.u umiak covers, as I 
knew of a load of these broui;ht U]) for sale, and in the sprinj;' of l.S,s;5 a 
party went down to the inlet in search of sncli skins. Single families 
and small iiarties like that from KUauwitawin, mentioned above, soine- 

whalin.u crews at tiie northern villages. The people that \x<- saw from 
these settlements were very liki' the northern Kskimos but many of 
them spoke a perceptibly harsher dialect, sounding the final consonants 
.listinctly. 

The i)eo])le at Point Hope are known as Tikera'nmiun "inhabitants 
of the forefinger (Point Hope)," and their .settlement is occ^asioually vis- 
ited by straggling parties. No natives from Point Hope came north 
during the 2 years of our stay, but a party of them visited the Plover 
in IS."),!.' We found some people acquainti'd by name with the Kuwu'R- 
miun and Silawi'fimiun of the Kuwfdc (Kowak or "Putnam") and Sil- 
awik Rivers emi)tying into llotham Inlet, and one man was famiHar with 
the name of Sisnalin, the great trading cami) at Kotzebue Sound. We 
were unable to find that they had any knowledge of Asia ("Kokhlit- 
unna,") or the Siberian Eskimo, bnt this was probably due to lack of 
properly directed inquiries, as they .seem to have been well informed on 
the subject in the I'lorrr's time.' 

With the peojilc of the Nu'natak (Iidand) lliver, the NunataiTmiun, 
they are well acquainted, as they meet them every summer for purposes 
of trading, and a family or two of Nunatanmiiin sometimes spend the 



'Maguirc, NW. P.issa','!-, p. 384. 

= 11 is to bi' regretteil that tlic expedition waii not siipplieil witli a eopy of Dr. Simp80n'.s excellent 
paper, .is much valuable information was missed for laek of suggestions as to the direction of inquiries. 






WLTHnoni.l SOflAL SrKKoUKl iIN(!S OTIIKK, KSKIMO. /lo 

Nviuter at the iiortlicrn villai^cs. One t:iiiiil.v wintcrf.l ;ii Nnwuk in 
1881-'82, ami anotlicr at rtkiavwiu the lollowiiij;- winter, wliiic a wi.l 
owerofthis "tribe" was als,, settleii there for the same winter, lias in- 
man-ietl a wi(h>\v in Tlie vilia.^e. We olitained very hi lie deiinite infor 
mation alM.nt tliese i)eoi.h' except that they <-auu' IVoni tlie s.uitliaiMl 
descended the Col viUeHiNer. < )nr in vest i-at ions were remhacd dillieult 
by the .-n.trn.ssiiio- nature ..f tlie work of the station, an. I the tioniili 
we experienced, at hrst. in h'arnin.i;- enon-li of the lan.i;na.ue I,, iiiak. 
ourselves clearly understooil. Dr. Siniiison was able to learn detinitels 
that the homes of these people ar 
them visit Kotzebue SoiuhI in tin 
a portage between the Xnnatfd; 
river to the Arctic Ocean.' I have been informe.l by the .•aplaiii of one 
of the Anieriean whalers that he has, in dilferenf seasons, met the same 
peoph' at Kotzebne Sound and the month of the (Jolville. We also re 
eeived artitdes of Siberian tame reindeer skin from the east, which must 
have come across the country from Kot/.cbue Sound. 

These peoid.-. dilVcr from the northern natives in some habits, whi.di 
will be described later, and sj.eak a harslna- dialect. We were intormed 
that in travclin,<;' «'ast after passing;- the mouth of the Colville they came 
to the Kunmu'dlin ('• Kan.i;niali enyuin" of Dr. Simpson and other 
anlli(U'S) andstillfnrtherotf ••a.uri-at<listanee" to the Kupiin or -(ireat 
Kivcr"— the Ma<d;en/je— near the mouth ofwhicli is the villa-eofthe 
Kupufiminn. whence it is but a short distance inland to th.> •• .lireat 
h(mse" (iglu'kpiik) of the white m.Mi on the .uTcat river (probably Fort 
Mac])her.s(.n). Beyond this we only heard confused stories of jicople 
without posteriors and of sledges that run by themselves without dogs 
to draw them. We heard nothing of the country of Kitiga'ru' oi' of the 
stone lamp country mentioned l)y Dr. Simpson.' The Kufuufidlin are 
probably, as Dr. Simpson l)elieves, the people whose winter houses were 
seen by Franklin at Demarcation Point,^ near which, at Icy Eeef, I [ooper 
also saw a few houses.-' 

As already stated, ('apt. K. E. Smith was inlbrmed by the natives 
that there is now n., village farther west than Ilerschcl Islaml, where 
there is one of considerable size. If he was correctly infornuMl, this 
must be a new villa-e. since the older explorers who pa.ssed along the 
coast found onlv a sum.ncr .•amj. at this point. He also states that he 
found lai-e nundiers of ruined iglus on the outlying sandy islands 
along the coast, espe.-ially near Anxiety Point. We have scarcely any 
infonuatioii about these people, as the only white men who luive seen 
them had little intercourse with them iu passing along the coast.° The 

< Op. cit., pp. 'iH iind 236. 

'Op. cit., p. aen. 

'S, ,.1 Kxp.. p. U2. 

' \M'th"lMil'i'li»lu-.Uuform:ltioii thoro is about tliPm from pcrsoii.il .ib.scTViil ion <-an 1„. fomiam Frank 
tin,' Second Exp., p. U2, T. Simpson, N-arrative, pp. 118-123; ami Hooper, Touts, etc., pp.-...— ana 



4fJ THE POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 

Point Barrow people have but slight acquaintance with them, as they 
see them only a short time each summer. Captain Smith, however, in- 
forms me that in the summer of 1885 one boat load of them came back 
with the Point Barrow traders to Point Barrow, where he saw them on 
board of Ids ship. There was a man at Utkiavwin who was called " the 
Kunmu'dlin." He came there when a child, probably, by adoption, and 
was in no way distinguishable from the other people. 

Father Petitot appears to iuclndc these people in the " Ta/)e(v-meut " 
(livisi f liis "Tcliiglit" Eskimo, whom he loosely describes as in- 
habiting tlic coast from Ilerschcl Island to Liverpool Bay, including 
tiic delta of the Mackenzie,' without locating tlu'ir i)crnianent \nllages. 
In another place, however, he excludes the " Ta/'e(w/nicut " from the 
"Tcldglit," saying, "Dans I'ouest, les Tchiylit communiquaient avec 
Icurs plus proches voisins les Ta/jeo^-meut," ^ while in a third place ^ he 
gives the country of the "Tchiglit" as extending from the Coppermine 
Uiver tci the Oolville, and on his maj) in the same volume, the "Tareor- 
iiieiit " :iie liiid down in the Markenzie delta oidy. According to his 
own account, however, he had no personal knowledge of any Eskimo 
west of the Mackenzie delta. These people undoubtedly have a local 
name derived from that of their winter village, but it is yet to be learned. 

It is ])ossiblc that they do consider themselves the same people with 
tlie l';skiiii() of the Mackenzie delta, and call themselves by the general 
name of •• Ta/d'o/.nieut " (= Taxaiomiun iu the Point Barrow dialect), 
"those who live by the sea." That they do not call themselves "Kun- 
nui'dlln " or •• Kainuali-enyuin '' or " Kangmaligmeut " is to my mind 
(piitc certain. The word '• Kunnu'i'dlin," as already stated, is used 
at Nortou Sound to designate the people of Point Barrow (I was 
called a " Kiunnu'dlin " by sotne Eskimo at St. Michaels because I 
sjioke the Point Barrow dialect), who do not recognize the name as be- 
longing to themselves, but have transferred it to the people uuder con- 
sideration. Now, " Kuiimii'dlTn " is a word formed after the analogy of 
many Eskimo words from a noun kiiiimTj and the aftix lifi or dllii (iu 
(Ireenlandic lik), "one who has a ." The radical noun, the mean- 
ing of which I (^an not ascertain, would become in the ^lackenzie dialect 
kpiignrdfik (using Petitot's orthography), which with -lik iu the plural 
woidd make k/iagmalit. (According to Petitot's "Grammake" the 
plural of -lik iu the Mackenzie dialect is -lit, and not -gdlit, as iu Green 
landic). This is the name given by Petitot on his map to the people of 
the A nderson River,^ while he calls the Anderson River itself K/^agmalik.' 
The father, however, had but little i)ersonal knowledge of the natives 
of tlic Anderson, having made l)ut two, ai)pareutly brief, visits to thetr 
village iu 1805, when he first made the acquaintance of the Eskimo. 
He afterwards became fairly intimate with the Eskimo of the Mackenzie 

1 Monographie, p. xl. 
^Ibid, p. xvi. 

3 Bull, do la Sooi6t6 de G(Sographio, 0« s^r.. vol. 10, p. 250. 

* See also Monographie. etc., p. xi, where the uame is spelled Kpumalit 

2 VocabiUaire, etc., p. 76. 



SOCIAL SURKOUNDINCS OI'llKi; KSKIMo. 17 

delta, parties of whom s]uMit tlic suniiiicrs of 1<S(;<» and IST(t whl, iijni. 
From these parties he ai)i»'ars to have obtained tlie j;realcr i>arl <if the 
information embodied in liis Mon(i.nTai)liic and Vocalmlairc, as he ex 
plicitly states that he br.muht tin- last party to Vnv{ Cood Ilopi- 
"autaut pour les instniirc a loisir (jnc |i(pnr aiipicndic d'cnx Icnr 
idiome."' Nothinf;' seems to me more |irohalile than tliat lie learned 
from these Mackenzie peoph' the names of their neij;hliorsot the Ander 
son, which he had failed to obtain in his Hvin.u visits 5 years before, and 
that it is the same name, •• KunniiVdlin," wliich we have followeil from 
Norton Sound and found always a]i])lied to the jieople Jnst beyond us. 
Could we learn the meaninji of this word the (pn-stion nn^lit be settled, 
but the only possible derivation I ean see for it is from thedreeidanclic 
KarmaK, a wall, which throws no light ujion the subject. I'etitot calls 
the i)eo|)le of Cajie Bathurst Iv'a.!iinaliveit, wliich ap]i.'ais to mean 
"the real Khnmu'dlin " ('• Kfihmu'dlih" and the attix vik, "the real"). 

The Kupfihiniun appear to iiihalnt the permanent villages which have 
been seen near the western mouth of the Mackenzie, at Shiiii^lc Point' 
and Point Sabine,' with an outlying village, supposed to be deserted, at 
Point Kay." They are the natives described by Petitnt in his Mono 
graphie as the Ta/'^ivnieut division of the Tchiglit, to whom, trom the 
reasons already stated, most of his account seems to ajiply. There ap- 
pears to me no reasonable doubt, c<msideriiig his opportunities for ob- 
serving these people, that Ta/'co/'ineut, "those who dwell by the sea," 
is the name that they actually a])]>ly to themselves, and that Ivuiinnmiun, 
or Koitagmut, "those who live on the Great River," is a name bestowed 
upon them by their neighbors, jierhaps their western neighbors alone, 
since all the references to this name seem to be traceable to the author- 
ity of Dr. Simiison. Should they a])ply to themselves a name of similar 
meaning, it would probably be of a ditfereiit form, as, according to 
Petitot,^ they call the Mackenzie Ku-.vik, instead of Kupuk or Kiipiin. 

These are the people who visit Fort Macpherson every sjiring and 
summer,'- and are well known to the Hudson Bay traders as the .Mac- 
kenzie Uivcr Eskimo. They are the Eskimo encountered between Her- 
schel Island and the mouth of the Mackenzie by Franklin, by Dease and 
Simpson, and by Hooper and Pullen, all of w honi have publislietl brief 
notes concerning them.'' 

We are still somewhat at a loss for the proper local names of the last 

ol. 10, p. :in. 
arrativc. p. 112. 

Mlc)i,)»T, ■r.-iitn. etc., p. 2M. 

Ml.i.l, p, ■JO. 

» Bull. So, , ill- (iiM>s., G a^'r,, vol. 10, p. 1H2. 

«ri-tilot, .Monographic, etc., pp. xvi and xx. 

'Franklin, 2(1 Kxp., pp. »9-lul, KC-llO, 114-119 and 128; T. Simpson, Ni>rrati\. iir 1"i M-' Hooper, 
Tents, etc., pp. 2B:i-2(>4. There is also a brief note bv Uie Kev. W. W. Ki. 1,!- ■ I > lo the 
Youcan." Sniilhsoniaii Report for lsr4. These, with Pctitofs in nnmy i. , ' ^'"n"- 
irraphie conipri-c :; ili. ]:>r.~r.n.^t\..u u _,M.Iiii-fhisf. iicople from actual obsci'..ii:.u. ih.il li.i n pub- 
lished. ' Kid,;,!.! 1 iK.nd in his "Searching Expc.litiuii- and "Polar 

Keiiions " 'I'li' i i i i,, ,,,,,1 iic. p. 125) arc a purcl.v h.v-iMthetical people in- 
vented to fill the ,p'" 1" I" " " 11" -' !""1''^ '" ""^ "'"'*'» ">""* ''"' ^fiabascans in the south." 



48 rilK POINT HAKROW ESKIMO. 

lahivt wcaiins- Kskiiiio. thosc.nainfly. of the AikIctsoii Kiv.t and Cape 
I'.atliuist. That tli.'V aiv m.t coiisid.-icil by the Ta,-iMv,inriit as bcloiig- 
iiij;- to the same "trilK"" with thciiisi'lvcs is evident from the names 
Iva.ninalit ami K<-asnialiveit. applied to them by Petitot. Sir John Rich- 
anlson, the first white man to eueounter them (in 1826), say.s that they 
ealled themselves "Kitte-garroe-oot,'" atul the Point Barrow people 
told Dr. Simpson of country callea "Kit-te-ga'-ru" beyond the Mac- 
l<('iizie.' These people, as well as the Ta/)eo/>nieut, whom they closely 
nscnibh'. are described in Petitofs Monographic, and brief notices of 
tliciii arc given by Sir Jolm Richardson,' McChire,^ Arin.strong,^ and 
IIooper.'= Tlie arts and industries of tliese people from the :\Iackenzie 
to the Anderson, esjiccially the hitter region, are well represented in 
the National Museum by the collections of Messrs. Kennicott, Ross, and 
:\ra( Farlane. The Point Barrow pe(.])le say that the Kupiinminu are 
"bad;"' but notwithstanding this small ])arties ft'oui the two villages 
occasionally travel east to the Mackenzie, and spend the winter at 
tlie Kuininmiun village, whence they visit the "great house," returning 
the following season. Such a party left Point Barrow June 15, 1882, 
declaring their intention of going all the way to the Mackenzie. They 
returned .\ugnst -•"> or 2(i, 1883, when we were in the nddst of the con- 
tusion of closing the station, so that we learned no details of their jour- 
ney. A letter with which they were intrusted to be forwarded to the 
United States through the Mackenzie River posts reached the Chief 
Signal OfBcer in the summer of 1883 by way of the Rampart House, on 
the Porcupine River, whence we received an answer by tlie bearer ft-om 
tlie factor in charge. The Eskimo probably sent the letter to the Ram- 
part House by the Indians who visit that post. 

The intercourse between these people is purely commercial. I )r. Simp- 
son, in the paper so often quoted, gives an excellent detailed description 
of the course of tliis trade, wluch agTees in the main with our observa- 
tions, though we did not learn the particulars of time and distance as 
accurately as he did. There have been some imiiortant changes, how- 
ever, since his time. A small party, peiliaps ti\cMii six tamilio.of -Nu- 
nataiimiun" now come every summer to I'oint iiairow atioiit the end of 
July, or as soon as the shallow bays along shore are open. They estab- 
lish themselves at the summer camping ground at Pernyi?, at the south- 
west corner of Elsou Bay, and stay two or three weeks, trading with the 
natives and the ships, dancing, and shooting ducks. The eastward -bound 
parties seem to start a little earUer than formerly (July 7, 1853, July 
3, 1854," June 18, 1882, and June 29, 1883). From all accounts their rela- 

' Franklin, 2d Exp., p. 203. 

'Ibii!., p. 269. 

' Franklin. 2d Exp., pp. 193, 203 iind 230; Se.irchinf; Exp., .-lud Polar Ef^'ions, y. 300. 



-about t hv tnrbnk- 



wcRDOCH.) SOCIAL srix'KorMlINGS OTIIKK KSKlMo, 4'.l 

tions with the eiistciii in'oph' are now pcrtcctly tVicudly. We hi^anl 
uothing of the preeautionary measures descril)e(l by Di-. Siiii|>soii.' ami 
the womeu talked freiiueiitly of tlieir tiadiiiu witli Ilie KrifiiuiVdhri and 
even with the Kupftuminii.- We did imt learn detinitely wliellier ihey 
met the latter at Barter Point or whetiier tliey went still lartlier east. 

Some of the Point Barrow i)artiesdo not noeast of the (dUille. The 
articles of trade have changed somewhat in tiie last .!(> years, from the 
fact that the western natives can now buy directly from the whalers iron 
articles, arms, and ammunition, beads, tobaeid. etc. 'flie Nnnatafnninn 
now .sell chiefly furs, deerskins, an<l clothing ready made tVom them, 
woodenware (buckets and tubs), willow poles for setting nets, and some 
times fos.sil ivory. The double-edged Siberian knives are no longei- in 
the market and appear to be going out of fashion, though a few of them 
are still in use. Eeady-made stone articles, like tiie whetstones men- 
tioned by Dr. Siniitson,-^ are rarely, if ever, in the market. We did not 
hear of the purchase of stone lamps from the eastern natives, 'f ins is 
probably due to a cessation of the demand for them at Point Harrow, 
owing to the tailing off in the population. 

The Kufiniu'dlTri no longer furnish guns and amnurnition. as the west- 
eirn natives in-efer the l)reech-loading arms they obtain from the whalers 
to the flintlock guns sold by the Hudson Pay ( 'omjiany. The trade with 
these people seems to l)e almost entirely for furs and skins, notably 
black and red fox skins and wolverine skins. Wkins of the narw hal or 
beluga are no longer mentioned as important articles of tra<le. 

In return for the.se things the western natives give sealskins, etc., 
especially oil, as formerly, though 1 believe that ver\- littl.-. if an\ , whale- 
bone is now <-arried east, since the natives prefer to save it for trading 
with tlie ships in the hoi)e of getting h(iuor, or arms and amiinuiition, 
and various articles of American manufacture, beads, kettles, etc. I was 
told by an intelligent native .,f I'tkiavwin that brass kettles were highly 
prized by the Kupunminn. and that a large one would bring three wolver- 
ine skins,-" three black fo\skin>. or live reil ones. ( )ne woman was an.Kious 
to get all th.> empty tin cans si,e conld, saying that she could sell them to 
the Kuunui'dlin for a foxskin apic.-c. We were told that the eastern na- 
tives were glad to buy gun tlints and bright-colored handkerchiefs, and 
that the Nuuatannnun wanted blankets and i)laying-cards. 

[,uU>ui.s.—They informed us that east of the Colville they sometimes 
met ••Itku'.mr.,"i.eoph. with wh.nn they could not converse, but who 
were frien.llv and tra.led with them, buying oil tor fox skn.s. They 
were .said to live bacdc of the coast between the Colville and the .Mack.-n- 
zie, ami were described as wearing no labrets, but rings in then- ears ami 
noses. Thev wear their hair long, do not tonsure the crown, and -.m- 
dressed in jiickets of skin with the hair removed, witho ut h.)ods, and 

'Op. lit., p. 265. 

'In the Plovers time they were left :i ila.v'»,ii)iirueT in the reiir. 

»0p. cit., p. 266. „„„,„ri, 11 itivoq 

'T. Simps,.., S.-.W iron kettle., .-.t Can„l.-„ P..,y which ha.l bee,, p,.reh„se,l Irom the we.teru I,.it,^09 



50 




Til 


:k 1 


'dlN'l 


' l!Alil{(l\V 


ES 


KIM 


:o. 






oniainciitcd \ 


vifl, 


l>ea(l.' 


^ am 


.1 frii 


i-e. We s: 


IW 1 


)iie 


or 


two such Jackets in 


rtkiavwin a 


p])ai 


vutly 


ma 


de ul 


• moose ski 


in, 1 


ind 


a 


lew 


])ouchesof the 


saiiR' iiiatwi: 


ii; iii 


-lily 




imen 


ted with 1)( 


i-ad 


s. 


Th 


ey 1 


lave long Hint- 


lock };uiis, w 


•liite 


man 


's w 


•oode 


11 pipes, wl 


liel 


1 th 


ley 


va] 


liie higlilv, and 


axes — not ad 


Izes- 


-wit] 


I \\i 


licli 


tliey "bie; 


ik : 


mai 


ly 


trei 


•s." W.-' easily 


uiKlci'stood t 


Vom 


this 


des( 


•i-i].ti 


on that 111. 


dial 


IS wer 


1' III 


eant, and since 


our ictuiii 1 


liav 


e hec 


■n a 


ble t. 


. identity i 


>lie 


or 1 


tW( 


< of 


the tribes with 


tolwablf ceil 


faint 


y. 


















TIk'.v seem 


Lett 


fi- aci 


|Uai 


nted 


with these 


]»•< 


,,de 


th 


an in Dr. Simpson's 


time, ami kiK 


)\V tl 


[(• wo 


rd '• 


kute 


iiin,""i ])]. 


'.ill 


1 wli 


lie! 


1 m; 


my of the tribal 


uamesend. 


\\C ( 


lid n. 


.the 


■aitli 


e names Ki 


I'yii 


ikai 


lOl 


•Itk 


alya'ruin which 


Dr. Simpson 


lean 


lied, a 


ijipa 


reutl 


y from the 


Xu 


liat; 


an mill! 


1.' I heard one 



niau speak of the Kuteha Kutchiu, who inhabit the "Yukon from the 
Birch Eiver to the Kotlo Eiver on the east and the Porcupine River on 
the north, ascendinj;- the latter a short distance.'" 
•i One of the tribes with which they liaxc dealings is the " Kat Indians" 
of the Hudson Bay men, jirobably tlie Viiiita' Iviitchiu,^ from the fact 
that they visit Fort Yukon. These are tlie people whom Capt. Masuire 
met on his unsuccessful sledj;c Journey to the eastward to communicate 
with Collinson. The Point Barrow people told us that "Magwa" went 
east to see "Colli'k-sina," but did not see him, only saw the ItkMliM. 
Collinson,' speaking- of Maguire's second winter at Point Barrow, says: 
"In attemiiting to prosecute the searcii easterly, an armed body of 
Indians of the Koynkuu tribe were met with, and were so hostile that 
he was compelled to return." Maguire himself, in his official report,^ 
speaks of meeting /oio- Indians who had followed his party for seveial 
days. He says nothing of any hostile demonstration ; in fact, says they 
showed signs of disappointment at his having nothing to trade with 
them, but his Eskimo, he says, called them Kojiikiin, which he knew 
was the tribe that had so barbarously murdered Lieut. Barnard at 
Nulato in 1851. Moreover, each Indian had a musket, and he had only 
two with a party of eight men, so he tlunight it safer to turn back. 
However, he seems to have distributed among them printed "informa- 
tion slips," which they immediately carried to Fort Yukcm, and return- 
ing to the coast ^vith a letter from the clerk in charge, delivered it to 
Capt. CoUinson on board of the Enterprise at Barter Island, July 18, 
1854. The letter is as follows ; 

Four YoreoN, June 27, 1S54. 
The. priuteil slips of paper delivered by tile ortieeis of H. M. .S. Plover on the 25th 
of April, 1854, to the Rat IiuUaus were received on the 27th of June, 1854, at the 
Hudson Bay Company's establishment, Fort Youcon. The Rat Indians are in the 

I ■■ The iDlandEakimo also call them Ko'-yukan, .ami divide them into three sections or tribes. * - * 
One is called I't-ka-lyi [apparently the plural of Itk&dllii), • ■ * the second It-kal-ya'-ruin [difl'er- 
ent or other Itkttdlln]," op. cit., p. 269. 

'Dall, Cont. to N. A. Etbn., vol.1, p. 30, where they are identified with Itkalyaruiu of Simpson. 

>Ibid.. p. 31. 

*Arctic Paper.'^. ji. 119. 

*• Further papers, etc., jtp. 905 et seq. 



;RRorNi)iN(; 



habit of making pcrii"!! 
They are a harmless. iiK 
any assistance they can 



Capt. Collinsoii evidently never dicMnieil of iileiitilViiiu- tliis "liaiiii 
less, iuotteiisi\e set i>l' Indians" witli -an niim^d IhmIn- of I ndniiis nT llie 
Koyukiiii tribe." It is iiiiiiortaiit fliat his slalcni.'iil, (|ui)ted al>n\f, 
shoilld he eurrected lest it serve as autlidrity loi' (Alendiiii;- tiie rain'c nt' 
the Koyukuu Illdiaiis- to the Arctic Ocean. Tiie rniii( I'.arriiw iiednje 
also kuow the name of the IT'ua kho tana,' or l'ji'al<()iiiia, as (he\ nrii 
iiounce it. Their intercourse wit li all these Indians appears id be rather 
sliglit and purely ediiunereial. FrieiuUy relations existed l)clween the 
Itat Indians and the "Eskimos who live soniewheic near I he Cdlvilie" 
as early as ISiO,^ while it was still -war totheknile" between tlie i'eel 
Kiver Indians and the Kupiinmiun.'' 

The name Itku'dlTfi, of which I't ka-lyi ot Dr. Siniiison appears lo lie 

the plural, is a generic word for an Indian, and is iindonlitcdly thes: 

as the Greenland word eiKileK — |)lnial eiKigdlit — which means a tal)u 
Ions "iidander" with u lace like a dou. ••They are martial sjiirits and 
inhuman foes to maidcind: however, they only inhabit the east side of 
the land.'"^ Dr. Rink' has alrea.Iy pointed out that this name is in us<. 
as far as the Mackenzie River— tbr instance, the Indians are call.Ml 
"eert-kai-lee" (Parry), or "it-ka.^h-lie" ( Lyon), at Fury and Ilccla Strait : 
ik-kil-lin (Gilder), at the west shore ot Ilndson I!ay. and •• itiv.e'h-'it " 
(Petitot) at the Mackenzie. I'etitol also gives this word as itkpe'lit in 
his vocabulary (p. -12.) These words, including the term Ingalik, or 
In-ka-lik, ai)i>lied by the natives of Norton Sound to the Indians." and 

which Mr. Dall was iiifor d meant "children of a louse's egg." all 

ai)pear to be compounds ot the word erlvelC, a h)Use egg, and the alHx 
lik. (I suspect eiKilcK, IVom tiie form of its ])lural, to be a corrni>tion 
of "eriviliiv," since there is no re<ogiiized alHx leK in Greenlaudic.) 

Petitot^ gives an interesting tradition in ivgard to the origin of this 
name: "La tradition Iniiok cU'daigne de jiailer ici des Peaux-ltouges. 
L'ayant fait obs.'rver a luon narrateur Ayrliaiic. -Oh!" me repondait il. 
' il rie vant pas la peine d"cii jiarler. Us naqnireiit aussi dans foucst. siir 
rile du Castor, des larves de nos poux. < '"est pour(|Uoi nous Ics nom- 
mons Itk/-e'le'it." 

CONTACT WITU CIVILIZED I'EOPLK. 

Until tiK' visit of the lUossom-s barge in ISliC. these people had never 
seen a white man, although they were already in possession of tobac.-o 
and articles of Russian manufacture, such as copper kettles, which they 

' Arctic, Papers, ii. 1+4. " Crautz. viil. I, p. 2I1S. 

"Koyu'-ku'kh-ota'lia. T)all. Cont. Id N. A. Kill., p. -'7. ' .tourn. Anthrop. Inst.. 1«85, p. 2+4. 

>Ibi<l., p. -.'8. - Dall. Alaska, p. 28. ami Contrib., vol. 1, p. 2:.. 

' Hooper, Tcnt.'i, etc., p. 270. « ilonographie, p. xxiv. 
• Ibid,, p. 273. 



52 


THE POINT BARROW I 


vSKIMO. 




liad (>l)t:uiic(l In 


>ii> Sihciia hy way 


of the Di 


omedes. 


Mr. Elson's party 


landed uiily at 


Kcfni;.' Inlet, and 


had hut 


little illt 


ereourse with the 


nativ.-s. His vi 


sit si'cnicd to lia\i 


1' hei'ii to 


igotten 1 


.y tiie time of the 


l-l,>rn'.-< stay at 


I'oinf r.anow. Ilio 


u.-h Dr. ; 


Siin|isoii 


found peojile who 


iv<'„llr,-fd the > 


, isit <if Tliomas Sii 


niison in 


IS.;:.' '1 


'he latter, after he 


had Ifl't the licial 


:s and was iirocccd 


iiig on h 


lot with 1 


lis party, tirst met 


the Niiwunniiuii 


at I'oint Tan-cnt 


, where t 


here was 


a small party en- 


caiiiixMl, fn.iu wl 


lioin lie jmirliascd 


the iinii; 


ik in whi 


eh he went on to 


Point narrow. 


He landed tiieie e: 


irly in tli 


1' inoniini 


■ (if August 4. and 


went down to tb: 


e siiinineicanipat 


I'ernyi;, v 


.-hen- he> 


tayed till 1 o'cloek 


ill tlic afternoon 


, trading- with the 


natives 


anil wate 


hing them dance. 


On liis return to Point Tangent some of tlie 


natives 


aeeompanied him 



to lioat Extreme, where he i>arted from them August (i, so that his 
whole intercourse with them was e<intined to less than a week.^ 

The next white men who landed at Point Barrow were the party in 
the Phii-vr's boats, under Lieuts. Pulleii and Hooper, on their way to the 
Mackenzie, and tlie eiew of Mr. Slieddon's yaelit, the Xiniri/ />r((CSOW, in 
the summer of l.sp.i. The boats were from .Inly 'J'J to August .'5 getting 
from f'ajie Smyth past Point I'.arrow, when the crews were ashore for a 
collide of days and did a little trading with the natives, wliom they 
found very friendly. They afterwards had one or two skirmishes with 
evil-disposed parties of NuwOfimiun returning from the east in the neigh- 
borhood of Return Reef. The exploring ships Enterprise and Tnvesti- 
(/rtfdj- also had casual meetings with the natives, wlio received tobacco, 
etc., from the ships. 

The depot ship I'lorrr. Commander .Magiiire, spent the winters of 

1852-'53 and 1853-'54 at I'oint I'.arrow, and tl Iliecis and crew, after 

some misunderstandings and skirmishes, estalilislied very fiiemlly and 
.sociable relations with the natives. The only imblished accounts of the 
Fhinr'n stay at I'oint Marrow are Commander Maguire's ofhcial reports, 
published in the I'ailiameutary Reports (Blue Rooks) for 1804, pp. 
1(;.")-1.S,"., and ls.V>, iiji. ".I(l."( et seip, and Dr. Simjison's paper, already 
mentioned. Maguire's report ol' tiie tirst winter's proceedings is also 
published as an appendix to Slierard ( )sboriieV •'Discovery of the North- 
west Passage." 

We found that the elder natives remembered :Maguirc, whom they 
called "Magwa," very well. They gave us the names of many of hisx>eo- 
ple and a very correct account of the most iniiiortant proceedings, though 
they did not make it clear that the death of the man mentioned in his 
report was accidental. Tiiey described •■:\Iagwa"as short and fat, with 
a very thick neck, and all seemed very iiiiieh impressed with the height 
of his tirst lieutenant, "Epi'ana" ( W'riMit,) who had "lots of guns." 

It was difdcult to see that the Plover^s visit had exerted any perma- 
nent intliience on these people. In fact, Dr. Simpson's account of their 
habits and customs would serve veiy well for the present time, except 

' Op. cit., p. 204. ' Narrative, pp. 146-168. 



MURDOCH.] iN'n'.i;('iin;sK with wiiiri'; mi'.x. f),"} 

iu regard to the use of tirc;iniis. Tlics ccrhiinlN n'liicinlM'rril no I'.iiolisli. 
Indeed, Dr. Siliipsoii s;iys' tluit thry LmiiumI Imnlly :iiiy. 'I'lir rhn-rr's 
people probably found it very ensy to ilo as we did and ndopl a soil o| 
jargon of Eskimo wovdsaiid "iii-roii Imi^IIsIi" iiiainaiai- loi- maicral in 
terconrse. Althou-li. a<-cordiii.u to the acrouiil of llir iiali\rs. Ihcic 
was considerable intorcourse l)et\vrni flic sailors a ml I lie lOskimo w omen, 
tii.-r.' are now no people livin.n at citlicr \ illaiiv wlio \\r <-oiihl !»• sure 

being half Knglisli. Siir was r.Miiarkal.lr only for li.-i' lar-e build, ami 
was not lighter than many ]nuc-blo(,d<-d womni. 

Since 18.")4, whon tlio first wlialors .-amc as far north as Ilir i'oiiil, 
there has hardly bo.-n a season in which ships have not visilcil this i-e- 
gion, and for a <-ou|)lc of months evcr\- year the natives hasr had con- 
siderable intercourse with the whites, going off to the sliips to trade. 
while tile sailors come ashore o.-casionally. We found that they usually 
spoke of white men as ••kablu'na :" but they informed us that they had 
another word, -tu'ii-nyin." which they used to employ among themselves 
when they saw a shij.. Dr. Simpson- says that they learned the word 
"kabliina" from the eastern natives, but that the latter (he gives it 
Tan'-ningorTan'-gin) came from the NiiiiataTnuiun. lb- sii|>posesit to 
apply to the Uussiaiis, who had regular bath (hiys at their posts, and 
.says it is derived from taii-nikh lu-go. to wash or cleanse the ixuson. 

The chief change resulting from tlu-ir intercourse with the whites has 
been the introducri f lircarms. Nearly all the natives are now pro- 
vided with gnus, some of the f the best modern patterns of breech- 
loaders, and they usually succeed in procuring a supply of ammunition. 
This is in some respects a disadvantage, as the reindeer ha\ c be<-oinc so 
wild that the natives would no longer be able to pnxaire a sufticicMt 
number of them for food and <-lothing with tlieii' former aiipliauces. and 
they are thus rendered dependent on the shii.s. On the other hand, 
withaph'iiliful supply of amiiuinitioii it is easier for them to procure 
abundance of tbod. both deer and seals, and th.-y are less lialde to famine 
than in former times. 

There is no reason to fear, as has been suggested, that they will lose 
the art of making any of their own weapons except in the case of the 
bow. With lircarms alone they would b.' unable to obtain any seals, 
a much moiv important souive of too.l than the ivindeer. and their own 
ai.plianees for sealing arc much better than any civili/.c.l contrivanees. 
Although they have plenty of tin' most improved modern whaling gear, 
they are not likelx to tbrget the maiuifacture of their own implements 
for this purposi'. as this important fishery is ruled by tradition and 
suiierstitioii. whi.h insists that at least (Uie harpoon of the ancient pat- 
tern must be iiscl ill taking every whale. All arc now rich in mm, 
civilized t.H.ls. canvas and wreck wood, and in this respe.'t then- con- 
dition is improved. 

^ 'n„.cit.v.i5l. ^0,,.dt.,i..a71. 



54 THE POINT BARKOW ESKIMO. 

TIk'.v Ikivc. liowcv.T. Mili>i)t('(l vriy few civilized liahits. They liave 
cniitnictt'd a taste for civilized tc»i(l. es])ecially hard bread and tluur, 
but this they are unable to obtain for Id uioutlis of the year, and tbey 
are thus obliged to adhere to their forni(»r bal)its. In fact, except in 
regard to the use of firearms and mechanics' tools, they struck me as 
essentially a conservative i)co])le. 

Petroff ' makes the assertion that in late years their movements have 
been guided chiefly by those of the whalers. As far as we could observe 
they have not changed the course or time of their journeys since Dr. 
Simjisou's time, except that tbey bave given up the autumn whaling, 
possil)ly on account of tbe presence of the sbips at that season. Of 
course, men who are rich in whalebone now stay to trade witb the ships, 
while those who bave plenty of oil go east. Tbey are not absolutely 
dependent on tbe sbips for anything except ammunition, and even dur- 
ing the sbort time tbe sbips are with them tbey bardly neglect their 
own pursuits. 

The (me unmitigated evil of their intercourse with the whites bas 
been tbe introduction of spirits. Ajiart from the direct injury wbicb 
bquor does to their health, their passionate fondness for it leads them 
to barter away valuable articles which should ha^"e served to iirocure 
anmumition or other things of permanent use. It is to be hoped, bow- 
ever, that tbe liquor traffic is decreasing. Tbe vigilance of the revenue 
cutter prevents regular whisky traders from reaching the Arctic Ocean, 
and public ojiinioii among the whaling captains seems to be growing in 
the right (brectioii. 

Anotlier serious evil, which it would be almost impossible to cbeck, 
is the unlimited intercourse of tbe sailors ^vitli tbe Eskimo women. 
The whites can hardly be said to have introduced laxity of sexual 
morals, Ijut they iia\ e encouraged a natural savage tendency, and bave 
tanght them prostitution for gain, wbicb bas brougbt about great 
excesses, fortunately confined to a sbort season. This may bave some- 
thing to do with the want of fertility among tbe woinen. 

Our two years of friendly relations with tliese iieo])le were greatly to 
theii- advantage. Not only were our Inmse and (mr doings a C(mstant 
source of annisement to tbem, but they learned to resjiect and trust 
tbe whites. Without becoming dependent on us or receiving any favors 
without some adequate return either in work or goods, tbey were able 
to olitain tobacco, hard bread, and many other things of use to tbem, all 
through tbe year. Our jucsence ])revented tbeir procuring moi-e than 
trifling quantities iif si)irits, and though the sujiply of breech-loading 
ammunition was luetty well cut off, they could get jilenty of ]>owder and 
shot for their nuizzle loaders. The abundance of civilized food was 
undoubtedly good tor tbem, and our surgeon was able to give tbem a 
great deal of bell) in sickness. 

In all tbeir intercourse witb tbe whites they have learned very little 

'Report, ett'.. \>. IL'5. 



Mi-RKocH.] HAWAIIAN WOKliS AXI.MAl.S. 55 

P^iiglisli. cliieriy a few Datlis and cxclainations like -(;,.t ,,ut of licic," 
and the words of surli son-s as -Littl.' I'.rowii .liii;" and "Slion h'ly." 
curiously distorted. Tlicy have as a rule invented -enniiie Plskiino 
words for civilized articles which are new to tlieiii.' J<;veii in liieir 
intimate relations -n-itli us thi'y learned Inil few more phrases and in 
most cases without a kuowled,i;e of theii- nieaiun;^. 

There are a few Hawaiian words introduced l>y tiie Kanaka sailois on 
the whaleships, which are universally eniphiyed between whites and 
Eskimo along the wh(de of the Arctic coast, and o<'casionally at least 
among the Eskimo themselves. These are hm L((ii.- food, oi' to eat ; Iihhk 
h(n((, \vink;pu)ii-piini, cuitHK, aud^^n*. not. ]V<iIiliir. woman, is also used, 
but is less conmion. Another foreign word now universallv emploNcd 
among them in their intercourse with the whites, and even. I hclieNc. 
among themselves, is "kuiiii:" for woman or wife. They tiiemseives 
told us that it was not an Eskimo word — "When there were no white 
men, there was no kitni'i)"' — and some of tiie whalemen who had liceii 
at Hudson Bay said it was the "(rrceidand" word for woman. It was 
not until our return to this country that we discovered it to be the 
Danish word koiw, woman, which in the corrupted form "eoony" is in 
common use among the eastern Eskimo generally in the .jargon they 
employ in dealing with the whites. Knniv is "coony" with the suffix 
of the third i)erson. and therefore means •• his wife." It is sometimes 
used at Point liarrow for either of a married couple in the sense of our 
word "Spouse. " 

NATURAL RESOURCES. 

AMMALS. 

These people are acquainted with the following animals, all of which 
are more or less hunted, ami serve some nsefnl purpose. 

Mainiiuds. — The wolf, amaxo (Canis lupus griseo-albus), is not uncom- 
mon in the interior, hut rarely if ever reaehes the coast. Red and black 
fo.xes, kaia'ktuk ( Vuljies fnlvus fulvus and argeutatus),are chiefly known 
from their skins, which are common articles in the trade with the eastern 
natives, and the sanu' is trTu; of the wolverine, ka'vwifi (Gulo luscus), 
and the niarti'ii, kabweatyia (Mustela americaiuv). The arctic fox. 
t^'-rlgunit! (Vul])es lagopus), is very abuiulaut along the coast, while the 
ermine (Putorius ermiuea) and I'arry's spermopUile (Spermophilus 
empetra empetra) are not rare. The last is called siksin. Lemmings, 
a'vwiUG, of two species (Cuniculus torcpiatus and Myodes obensis) are 

'See list of "New Words," Kep. Point Barrow Exp., p. 57. 

"Tlie history oltliis wont, wliidl also appears as a Chuckcli word in some i.f th.- v.iiiilmlarii-s col- 
lecti-d l>.v N'.>rd.iiski.;l.rs .xjn-.litiun, is rather curious. Chamisso (Kot/..-bii. , \ "\ il-. "I -', 11. 392, 
foot iiuTi) s:i\,. Ill, If ilii^ i- .1 Hawaiian corruption of the well-known 'I'il' I - < ails it 

Chiii.-.si-i w.inl . !,..« rl„,u ivrrntly (in 1816-'17) .adopted by the .Samlwiili I- n -i - 1 people 

witli wlioni tlicy ira.l,-. 1 am inlonu'ed that the word is not of C'liinese on-m i-.i |,'mI. V.I nn,- Irom 
India, like many other words in •■I'igeon-En-lish-" Chamisso als,) calls pdmjMui a rhi.ifse word, 
but I have been able to learn uothinf; of its oriijin 



5G THl', POINT BARKOW ESKIMO. 

very abxindant smiic years, and Uwy ii'Cdjiiii/A- a tiny .shrewmouse (Sorex 
f()i\steri). Thi.s lirrlc animal i.s called uuii'ini:, a word eorrespondins' to 
tlie name n,<;ssunjinaK i;iven to tlie same animal in Lal)rador, wliieli, 
aceoidinti to Kleinsclimidt,' is an ironical ai)i)lieation of the uame of 
tiie largest seal, ni;ssnk (uj;ru at Point Barrow), to tlie smallest mammal 
known to the Eskimo. The same uame is also ajjjdied at Point Barrow 
to tlie fossil ox, whose bones are sometimes found. The most abundant 
laud animal. howe\-er. is the reiudeer, tii'ktu (Kaugifer tarandus »rcBn- 
landicus). which is found iu wiuter in great herds along the upper waters 
of the rivers. <ic<'asi(inally coming down to the coa.st, and attbrds a very 
important supi)ly of liiod. 

The moose, tuktuwiifi, or "big reindeer" ( Alee macWis), is well known 
from the a<-eounts of the Nunatanmiun, who bring moo.se skins to trade. 
Some of the natives have been east to hunt the mountain sheep, i'mne^ 
(Oviii canadensis dalli), and all are familiar with its skin, horus, and 
teeth, which they buy of the eastern natives. The musk ox, umiiimau 
(Ovibos moschatus), is known only from its bones, which are sometimes 
found ou the tundra. Inland, near the rivers, they also find a large 
brown bear, a'kqlak, which is probably the barren ground bear, while 
on the ice-pack, the jxilar beai-, nii'nu (Thalassarctos maritinms), is not 
uncommon, sometimes making raids on the provision storehouses in 
the villages. 

The most important sea animal is the little rough seal, netyiK (Phoca 
foetida), which is very abundant at all .seasons. Its tlesli is the great 
staple of food, while its blubber supplies the Eskimo lamps, and its skin 
serves countless useful purposes. The great bearded seal, ligru (Erigna- 
tbus barbatus), is less common. It is es]iecially valued for its hide, 
which serves for covering the large boats and making stout harpoon 
lines. Two other species of seal, the harbor seal, kasigia (Phoca 
vitulina), and the beautiful ribbon seal, kaixoliii (Phoca fasciata), are 
known, but both are uncommon, the latter very rare. 

Uerds of walrus, ai'bwek (Odobtenus obesus), pass along the coast 
in the open season, generally resting on cakes of floating ice, and are 
pursued for their hides and ivory as well as their flesh and blubber. 
Whales, akbw6k, of the species Balfena mysticetus, most pursued for 
its oil and whalebone, travel along the coast ui the leads of open water 
above described from the middle of April to the latter part of June iu 
large numbers, and return in the autumn, appearing about the end of 
August. White whales, kilelua (Delphinapterus sp.), are not uncom- 
mon in the .summer, and they say the narwhal, tug,41iri (Monodou 
monoceros), is occasionally seen. They are also ae(iuainted with another 
cetacean, which they call iixlo, and which appears from their descri]>tion 
to be a species of Orca. 

Birds. — In the spring, that is during May and the early part of June, 
vast flocks of migrating ducks pass to the northeast, close to the shore, 

' GrenlaDdsk Ordbog, p. 380. 



luTil 


.;in.l Sl,.ll,.i-s,|ii.-ks. i-ni. 


crs 1 


licy ;ilsii tiiiil imiiihcrs (if 


Mt 11 


IV coast ill small iiiiiiil.crs 


SIWT 


ics, the Aiiicricaii wliite- 


lis j; 


aiiihcli). the h'sscr siiow- 


Inck 


liiant, iiii^-lir-ui; (liraiita 


St b(l 


itli (luiim;- the iiiljiTatioiis 


s (in 


•1 tlii'iu in iMucli i^Tcater 


liiid : 


1 spccii's (if swan. ku'uTii, 


\ isit 


s the .-oast. 


■ tlu' 


Uiills. (.fwhi.-li the Point 



a few only renuiiii ill, li to liiccd. and ivtiiin 
from the latter part of .Inly to the end of ^ 
retiiruiug birds cross the istlnnus of I'oint I! 
natives assemble in lar.uc nmnbcrs tor tin 
These uiigrating birds arc mostly kini; duck 
tabilis), Pacific eiders, anjau'lifi (S. v-nigr; 
a'dyigi'a, a'badlln (Clangnla liyemalis), wit 
spectacled eider, ka'waso (Arctonctta fi> 
kau'kto (Enicouetta stelleri). At the vi 
pintails, i'vwiigB (Dafila acuta), wiiicli visi 
during the migrations, (iccsc of three 
fronted goose, m'l'glfigriii: (Anser albifn 
goose, ku'uo (Chen hy])cibo)ca). and tlic 1 
nigricans), are not iincommon on the co; 
and the breeding season, but the iiati\- 
abundance at the rivers, wiierc they also 
probably Olor columbiaiius. wliii h rarel,\ 

ISText in importance to the natives ai 
Barrow gull, nau'yB(Larusbarrovianus). is the most abundant all (liroiigh 
the sea.son, though the rare rosy gull, kfi'iJmaxlu (Rhodostctlics rosea), 
appears in multitudes late in the autumn. The ivory gull (( ni\ia alba), 
nariyalbwuu, and Sabine's gull, yfiku'drigugi'i; (Xema Sabinii). are un- 
common, while the Arctic tern, utyuta'kin (Sterna paradisca). is rather 
abundant, especially about the sandsjiits of Xuwrdc. All these species. 
particularly the larger ones, are taken for food. 

Three species of loons are common: the great white-billed loon, tii'dlin 
(Urinator adamsi), and the Pacific and red-throated divers (U. paciticiis 
and lumme), which are not distinguished from each other but are both 
called ka'ksau. They also occasionally see the thick-billed guillemot 
a'kpa (Tria lomvia arra), and more often the sea-pigeon, sckbwiik (Ce- 
phus mandtii). The three species of jaegei-s (Stercorarius pomarinus, 
parasiticu.s, and longicaudus) are not distinguished from one another 
but are all called isufu:. They i)ay but little attention to the numerous 
species of wading birds which appear in considerable abundance in the 
migrations and bree<ling season, but they recognize among them the 
turnstone, tull'gwa ( Areiiaria interpres). the gray plover, ki'raio'n (Cha- 
radrinssquatarola), the American golden plover, tu'dbii (('. doiiiinicus), 
the knot, tn'awi'a (Tringa canutus), the pectoral and Baird's sandpijiers, 
(T. miM-ulataand bairdii). both .-ailed ai'bwnkic. the r.-d-backcd sand- 
piper, mekapin (T. alpina pacifica). the seinipalmated sandpiiicr. iiiwil- 
iwi'luk (Ereunetes imsilliis). the butf-breasted sandpiper, mrdliiayu 
(Ti-yngites subruficollis). the ivd phalarojie. sabran (Chryinophilus fuli- 
carius), and the northern jdialarope. sabranni: (IMialaropus lobatus). 
The last is rare at I'oint Harrow, but they see many of them near the 
Colville. The little brown crane, tuti'drigi; (( Irns canadensis), is also 
rare at the i'oint. but they say they find many of them at the mouth of 
Kulii'urua. 



f,S THE POINT HAHK'OW ESKIMO. 

Of land birds, tlir most familiar aiv th.-litrl.' simw hunting, amauligw 
(lM.Ttro]ilicnax nivalis), tlic lirst bird to arrivr in the sjiring, the Lap- 
land lontispni'. nr-ssaii'dli.n'i; (Calcarius lapiionicns), and two species of 
-rouse, tlic willow .urousc (La.u'oims la.uopns) and tlie rock ptarmigan 
(1;. rnjicstris). which arc both called akiVdigin. These two ])irds do not 
migrate, but are to l)c seen all winter, as is also the well known snowy 
owl,n'ki)ik (Nyctca nyctea). A gertalcon,ki'driguniin (Falco rnsticohis), 
is also sometimes seen, and skins and feathers of the golden eagle, tl'n- 
nnckpuk, "the great bird" (A(iuila chrysretos), are brought from the 
east for charms and ornaments. The raven, tiiUn; (Cor\Tis corax sin- 
uatus), was not seen at Point Barrow, but the natives are familiar with 
it and have many of its skins for amulets. Several species of small 
land birds also occur in small numlicrs, btrt the natives are not familiar 
with them and call them all "sii'ksaxii;." • This name appears to mean 
"wanderer" or '•tluttercr." and jivobably belongs, 1 believe, to the dif- 
ferent species of redpolls (Acgiothus). 

Fishen. — A few species only of tisli arc found in the salt water. Of 
these the most abundant arc the little polar cod (Boreogadus saida), 
which is plentiful through the greater part of the year, and is often an 
important source of food, and the capelin, anmfi'gruu (Mallotus villosus), 
which is found in large schools close to the beach in the middle of sum- 
mer. There arc also canulit som, ■times two s|iccics()f sctdpins, ku'naio 
(Cottus (piadricornis and decasticnsis). and two siiecies of Lycodes, kii- 
graunu (L. turucrii and coccineus). In the gill nets at Elson liay they 
also catch two species of salmon (Onchorhjnichus gorbusclia and ncrka) 
and a whitefish (Coregonus lanrcttie) in small numbers, and occasion- 
ally a large trout (Salveliuus nialma). The last-named fish they find 
sometimes in great numbers, near the mouth of the Colville. 

The greatest quantities of tish arc taken in the rivers. es])ecially 
Kuaru and Kulugriia, by fishing through the ice in the winter. They 
say there are no tish taken in Ikpikpui"!, and account for this by cxjilain- 
ing that the former two rivers freeze down to the bottom on the shallow 
bars inclosing deep pools in which the fish are held, while in the latter 
the ice never touches the bottom, so that the fish are free to run down 
to the sea. The species caught are the small Coregonus laurettae, two 
large whitefish (V. kennicottii and nelsoni), and the burbot, tita'lin 
(Lota maculosa). They si)cak of a fish, sulukpau'ga (which appears to 
mean "wing-fin" and is applied in (Ireenlaiid to a species of Sebastes), 
that is caught with the hook in Kulugrua apparently only in summer, 
and seems from the description to be Back's grayling (Thymallus sig- 
nifer). In the river Ku is caught a smelt, ithoa'nin (Osmerus dentex). 
In the great lake, Ta'syukpun (see above, p. L'O). they tell of an enor- 
mous fish "as big as a kaiak." They gave it no name, but describe it 
as having a red belly and white flesh. One man said he had seen one 
IS feet long, but another was more moderate, giving about 3 feet as the 



MURDOCH.] INSECTS PLANTS. 59 

Insects and other invertebrates. — ( )f insects, tlicy rrfo^-iiizc tlic li-ciiihlr 
some ino.squito, kiktorii: (Oulcx spii.). Hies, liiimhlclirrs. ami naililics 
(CEestrus tarau(li), both of wliicli tln-\ scmi mucli aiVaiil uT, and rail i .vu- 
tyai, ami the imivcr.sal louse, ku'iunk. All Ilir laii^e winded inseits, 
including the rare buttcrtlies and niotlis and eiane Hies, are ealled IiV 
kilia'kica, ortCikilukidja'ksnn, winch is also Ihe name olthe \(ll(i\\ \>»\>\)y 
(Papaver nudicaule). We were told thai ■■\t\ and liy" the |io|i|iies 
would turn into "little birds" and lly nway. which led us to sii]i|iose 
that there was some yellow butteitiy which we shonid lind almndaiit 
in the later summer, but we saw none eithei- season. A small spider is 
sometimes fouud in the Eskimo houses, and is called [lidrairu'i i;. "the 
little braider." They pay but little attention to other invertebrates. 
but are familiar with worms, kupidro, a spei'iesof cral>. kinan'n;, (llyas 
latifrons), and the little branchipus, iritu'ini (txreeulandie issiiorak, 
"the little one with big eyes"), of the fi-esh water-pools. Cockles (I'.uc- 
cinum, etc.) are called siu'tigo {Gr. siuterok, from siiit, ear), and (lams 
have a name which we failed to obtain. Jellytish are called iiiiaru'n:. 
"like bags." They say the " Kfiiimudlin " eat them I 



Few plants that are of any service to man grow in this region. The 
willows, fi'kpik, of various species, which iumi the coast arc nothing 
but creeping vines, aiv sometimes used as tiu'l. espei'ially along the 
rivers, where they grow into .shrubs .5 or (i feet high. Their catkins are 
used for tinder and the moss, mu'nik, furnishes wicks for the lamps. 
We could find no Unit that could be eaten. A cranberry (N'accinium 
Vitis-idjEa) occurs, but produced no fruit either season. No use is made 
of the different species of grass, which are especially luxuriant around the 
houses at ITtkiavwiii, where the ground is richly manured with various 
sorts of refuse,' tlnrngli the spei-ies of mosses and lichens furnish the rein- 
deer with food easily reache.l in the winter through the light covering 

of snow. Little attention is paid to the numerous, and s 'times 

showy, flowering plants. We learned but two names ot tlowers. the 
one mentioned above, tukilu'kica, tukilukid.ja'ksiui, which seemed to be 
api)lied to all striking yellow or white flowers, such as Papaver, Itanun 
cuius, and Draba, and mai'suu, the bright pink Pedicularis. All the 
wood used in this region, except the ready-made wooden ware and the 
willow i.oles obtained from the Nunatailmiuu, comes from the drift on 
the beach. Most of this on the beach west of Point Barrow a|ipears 
to come from the southwest, as the prevailing <-uncnt along this shore 
is to the northeast, and may be deriveil from the large rivers llowiiig 
into Kotzebue Sound, since it shows signs of having been long in the 
water. The .Iriftwood, which is reported to be abundant east of Point 
Barrow, probably comes from the great rivers emptyiugMnto the Arctic 

' ■• Tlw (iil h.lii -icted a.< a manure on the soil, and proiim.ed a luxuriant crop of sraas tr..m 1 to -J IV-t-t 
high •• (Village at'point Atkinson, east of the Mackenzie). Riehanbon Searching Exp..vol. I, p. 204. 



(iO Till-: POINT 1!A1;K()\V ESKIMO. 

Oi-caii. This wixid is sufficiently aliniidanr to fnniisli rlii' natives with 
all they need for fuel and other purposes, and consists eliietly of pine, 
spruce, and cotton wood, nio.stly iu the form of water- worn logs, often of 
lar^c size. Of late years, also, much wood of the different kinds used 
in shiplmildinji- has drifted ashore from wrecks. 

MTNKKALS. 

The people of this re.uion are a<-cpiainted with few mineral substances, 
excluding the metals which they obtain from the whites. The most 
important are tlint, slate, soapstone, .jade, and a peculiar form of massive 
pectolite, fli'st described by Prof. F. W. Clarke ' from specimens brought 
home by our party. Flint, iinma, was formerly iu great demand for 
arrow and spear heads and other implements, and according to Dr. 
Simpson'* was obtained from the Nunataiimiun. It is generally black 
or a slightly translucent gray, but we collected a nniuber of aimwheads, 
etc., made of jasjier. red nv variegated. A few crystals of transi)arent 
quartz, sometimes smoky, were also seen, and ajijieared to hf used as 
anudets. Slate, ulu'ksii, "material for a round knife," was used, as its 
name imports, for making the woman's round knife, and for harpoon 
blades, etc. It is a smooth clay slate, varying iu hardness, and light 
green, red, purple, dark gray, or black in color. All the pieces of soft 
gray soapstone, tuna'ktB, which are so common at both villages, are 
probably fragments of the lamps and kettles obtained in former years 
fi'om the eastern natives. The jade is often very beautiful, varying 
fi'om a pale or bright translucent green to a dark olive, almost black, 
and was formerly used for making adzes, whetstones, and occasionally 
other implements. The pectolite, generally of a pale greenish or bluish 
color, was only found in the form of oblong, more or less cylindrical 
masses, used as hammerheads. Both of these minerals were called 
kau'dlo, and were said to come "from the east, a long way off," from 
high rocky ground, but all that we could learn was very indefinite. 
Dr. Siiu[ison was informed' that the stones for making whetstones were 
brought from the Kuwfik Eiver, so that this jade is probably the same 
as that which is said to form Jade Mountain, in that region. 

Bits of porphyry, syenite, and similar rocks are used for making 
labrets, and large p«>bbles are used as hammers and net sinkers. They 
have also a little iron pyrites, both massive and in the form of spherical 
concretions. The latter were said to come from the mouth of the Col- 
ville, and are believed by the natives to have fallen from the sky. Two 
other kinds of stone are brought liom the neighborhood of Nu'nsuknan, 
partly, it appears, as curiosities, and partly with some ill defined mysti- 
cal notions. The first are botryoidal masses of brown limonite, resemb- 
ling bog iron ore, and the other sort curious concretions, looking like the 
familiar "clay stones," but very heavy, antl apparently containing a 

' U. S. Geol. Sarv., Bull. 9, p. 9, 1884. "Op. cit., p. 266. ^Op. tit., p. 266. 



wl:edoch.] food. fjl 

great deal of irou pyrites. White j;yi)siun. used I'm- nihliinu Hi,. i|,.sli 
side of deerskiu.s, is obtained on the seasiiinc ;it a place callcil TiVixr' 
"one sleep" east from Point Barrow. 

Bituminous coal, alu'a, is well known, thdiii^h ndi iisid lor nicl 
Many small fragments, wiiich come perliaps tidm ilic \,.iii ^ii C;,,,,. i;,.;,!! 
fort,' are picked up on tlic heacli. Shaly, \cr\- liitiiniinoiis cdal, hrnkcn 
into small square fragments, is rather ahMn<hint mi Ihcharsdi' Kuhi 
grua, whence specimens wen- hrou^ht li.\-('a|)t. Ilcrcii(h-i'ii. A nali\c 
of Waiuwright Inlet ixnvv us to understand thai coal exislcd In ;i reuu 
lar vein near that place, and r(d(l a story of a burniiiu hill in that 
region. This may be a coal lied on fire, <ir possil)ly "sinokinn- dill's," like 
those .seen by the Tin-rxti(jitt„r in Fraiddin Bay.-' We also heard a story 
of a lake of tar or liitumeii, adn<;-un, said to be situated on an island a 
day's sail east of the iioiut. Blacklead. iiiiTiiui. and red oclier are 
abundant and used as pigments, but we did not learn where tlie\ were 
obtained. Pieces of amber are sometinu's fouml on the beach and aie 
carried as amulets or (rarely) made into beads. Amber is called aumi;, 
a word that in other Eskimo dialects, and jnobably in this also, means 
"a live coal." Its application to a lump of amber is (piite a striking 
figure of speech. 



Substances used for food. — The food of these ])eo])le consists almost en- 
tirely of animal substances. The staple article of food is the tlesh of 
the rough seal, of which they ol)tain more than of any othei- meat. Xext 
in importance is the venison of the icindeei', though this is looked uiion 
as a kind of dainty.^ .Many well developed fietal reimh-er are bniught 

home from the s|irin.u dcei- hunt and are said to 1 x<-ellent eating. 

though we never saw them eaten. They also eat the tlesh of tl ther 

three species of .seal, the walrus, the polar bear, the "bowhead" whale, 
the white whale, and all tin- larger kinds of birds, gei^se. ducks, gulls, 

and grou.se. All the different kinds of fish apjiear to 1 aten, with the 

l)Ossil)le exceiition of the two species of Lycodes (only a few of these 
were cau-iit, and all were iiuivhased foi <iur collection) and veiy little 
of a fish is wasted except the hardest jiarts. Walrus hide is sometimes 
cooked anil eaten in times of scarcity. .Mollnsks of any kind are rarely 
eaten, as it is ditfi<-ult to procure them. .Mter a heavy gale in the 
autumn of 1881, when the beach was covered with marine animals, mostly 
lamellibranch mollnsks with their shells and softer parts broken oft' by 



■ Hooper found cotI on tlio bvach at Nuwttk in 1849. showing; that this coal has 
thrown over from ships. Tents of the Tiiski, p. 221. 
'Di.scovery of the N'mtliwi'st I'assasB, j>. 100. 
'The Eskimo of Iglulik ■ prefor vonison to any kind of meat." Parry. -M Vnya 



(\-> THK P(J1NT BARROW P:«K1M0. 

the violeiict' of the surf, Ave sa-^r one woman collect a lapftil of these 
"claui heads," which she said she was going to eat. The "blackskin" 
(epidermis) of the whaU' is considered a great delicacy by them, as by 
all the other Eskimo wlio are able to procure it, and they are also very 
foud of the tough white skin or gum round the roots of the whalebone.' 

We saw and heard nothing of the habit so generally noticed among 
other' Eskimo and in Siberia of eating the half-digested contents of the 
stomach of the reindeer, but we found that they were fond of the fteces 
taken from the rectum of the deer. I find that this curious habit has 
been noticed among Eskimo only in two other places — Greenland in 
former times and Boothia Felix. The Greenlanders ate "the Dung of 
the Rein-deer, taken out of the Guts when they clean them; the Entrails 
of Partridges and the like Out-cast, pass for Dainties with them."^ The 
dung of the musk ox and reindeer when fresh were considered a deUcacy 
by the Boothians, according to ,T. ('. Koss.' The entrails of fowls are 
aiso considered a great d«dicacy and are carefully c(joked as a separate 
dish.* 

As far as our observations go tliese peojile eat little, if any, more fat 
than civilized man, and, as a rule, not liy itself. Fat may occasionally 
be eaten (they are fond of the fat on the inside of duck skins), but they 
do not habitually eat the great ([uantities of l)lubber spoken of in some 
other places 5 or drink oil, as the Hudson IJay Eskimo are said to do 
by Hall, or use it as a sauce for dry food, like the natives of Norton 
Sound. It is usual! \- supposed and generally .stated in the popular ac- 
counts of the Eskimo that it is a physiological necessity for them to eat 
enormous quantities of blubber in order to obtain a suflQcient amount ot 
carlxni to enable them to maintain their animal heat in the cold climate 
which they inhabit. A careful comparison, however, of the reports of 
actual observers'- shows that an exi-essive eating of fat is not the rule, 

Eggs of all kiiuls. except, of course, the smallest, are eagerly sought 
for, but the smaller birds are seldom eaten, as it is a waste of time and 
ammunition to pursue them. We saw this people eat no vegetable sub- 
stances, though they informed us that the buds of the willow were some- 
times eaten. Of late years they have acquired a fondness for many 
kinds of civilized food, especially bread of any kind, flour, sugar, and 
molasses, and some of them are learning to like salt. They were very 



I Compare Hooper, Tents, etc. "This, which the Tnski call their sugar," p. 174; and Hall, Arctic 
Eescarches, p. 132 (Baflia Land). 
'K^'OiU', Greenland, p. 136. 
3Aii]i"-iidis to Ross's 2d Voyage, p. sis. 

h,-Thm\ (iulf. 

»F«r iust.ance, Sohwatka says that the NgtcUIk of King William Land devour enormous quantities 
of seal blubber, "noticeably more in summer than the other tribes," viz, those of the western shores 
of lliidson's Bay (Science, vol. 4, p. 544). Parry speaks of the natives of the Savage Islands, Hud- 
son's strait, eating raw blubber and sucking the oil remaining on the skins they had emptied (2d Voy- 
agi\ p- 14). 

f-Sti- for example Egede's Oreenland. p. 134; Crantz. History of (jreenland. vol. 1, p. 144; Dall, 
Alaska, passim; Hooper. Tents of the Tuski, p. 170; Nordenskiold, Vega, p. 110. 



MURDOCH.] F(K)I>. (;i{ 

jrladt«)inurliasctnimiisc(.ni-iiLfal"iiiiisli";iii.l Ihr lnokcn \i,iuais I'loiii 
the tal>k-. These were, howeviT. ciiiisidcird as spcii;,! (hiintirs aiitl 
eaten as hiueheoiis or as a dcsscit after ilii' iciiiihir niral. I'lic cliililicii 
and even some of the woincii were al\\a\s on ih,' waidi im- ilic cdok's 
slop bucket to be br(mj;lit (nit. and vied willi ilir iiliii|iiii(,us dcn;s in 
searching for serajis of fudd. AFcat whicli ciii.iiics would call ratiicr 
"high" is eaten with relish. Imt tliey seem t<i |irclcr livsh niral when 
thej' cau get it. 

Means of prciiariiKj fi>t>it.~VniH\ is ucm-rally .MiokiMl. cxri'i.i. iirrliaps, 
whale-skiu and \vliale-.i;iini. which usuall\ seem lo he calcn as sunn as 
obtained, without waiting; tor a tire. Ah-at of all kinds is ycni rally 

boiled in abundance id water nver a tire of driftw hand the lirotli 

thus made is drunk hot before eating tlie meat. Fowls are prepared lor 
boiling by skiniuug them. Fish are also boiled, but are often eaten raw, 
especially in muter at the deer-hunting camps, when they are frozen 
hard. Jleat is sometimes eaten raw or frozen. Lieut. Hay found one 
family in cam]) on Kulugrua who had no tire of any kind, and were 
eating everji:hing raw. They had run out of oil some time liefore and 
did not like to spend time in going to the coast tor more while deer were 
plentiful. 

When traveling iil winter, according to bieut. Uay, tliey luefer frozen 
fish or a sort of pemmican made as follows: The marrow is extracted 
from reindeer boiu's hy Koiling, and to a <|nantity of tliis is added L'(U-.> 
pounds of eruslied seal or whale blubber, and the whole beaten up with 
the hands ni a large wooden bowl to the consistency of frozen cream. 
Into this tJiey stir bits of boiled venison, generally t1ie j.oorer portions 
of the meat scraped off the bone, and chewed ni> small by all the women 
and children of the fandly, "eaeli using some calialistic woid as they 
cast in their mouthful."' The mass is made uji into 1' pound halls and 
carried in litth' sealskin bags. Flour, when olitained. is ma.lc into a 
sort of porridge, of which the\ are very tond. Cooking is mostly done 
outside of tile dwelling, in the (ppen air in summer, or in kitchens opening 
out of the i)assagewa\ in winter. Little messes (Uily. like an occasional 
dish (d sou|> or j.orridgc. are cooked over the lamps in the house. This 

habit, of <'onrse, c es liom the almndaid supply of tirewood, while the 

Eskimo most fre.iuently descrilMMl live in a country where w 1 is very 

scarce, ami are obliged to depen<l on oil for fuel. 

Time (Old jyriiiinifji ,f ininiii.^WUvw these ] pie arc living in the 

winter hons<'s they do not, as fir as we could learn, luive any regular 
time for meals, hut eat u h.mever they ar.^ hungry and have l.'isur.^. The 
women seem to keep a sM|.ply of cooked food on iiaml ready for any 
one to eat. Wiien tlu' men are working in the kfi'dyigi. or •'club house," 
or when a nuud)er of them are encamped together in tents, as at the 
whaling camp in iss!. or the regular summer caiui) at i'e rnyu. the 
women at intervals through the day prepare dishes of meat, which tlie 

' Lk-ut. Kay's MS. uotes. 



64 THE POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 

men cat by thciiisflvcs. AVlicii in tlic dcci-lnuiting camps, according- 
t(i Lieut, liay. tliey eat but little in the nioining, and can really be said 
to take no more tlian one full meal a day, which is eaten at nightwhen 
tlie day's work is done.' When on the march they usually take a few 
uioutlifuls of tlie jiemmiean above described before they start out in 
the morning, and rarely touch food a.uain till they g" into eaiu]! at 
night. 
I When a I'amily returns from the spring deer liunt witli plenty of ven- 
I ison tlie\- usually keeji open lions<' for a day or two. The women of the 
houseliold. with sometimes the assistance of a neighbor or two, keep 
the pot continually boiling, .sending in dishes of meat at intervals, 
while the house is fidl of gue.sts who .stay for a short time, eating, 
smoking, and chat ting, and then retire to make room for others. Messes 
are sometimes sent out to invalids who can not come to the feast. One 
household in the spring of 1883 consumed in this way two whole rein- 
deer in 24 hours. They nse only their hands and a knife in eating meat, 
usually filling the mouth and cutting or biting oif the mouthful. They 
are large eaters, some of them, especially the women, eating all the time 
when they have plenty, but we never saw them gorge themselves in the 
manner described by Dr. Kane (2d Grinnell Exp., passim) and other 
writers. 
; Their habits of lios](itality prevent their laying up any large supply 
i of meat, though blubbei- is carefully saved for commercial use, and they 
depend for subsistence, almost from day to day, on their .success in 
hunting. When encani] led, however, in small parties in the summer they 
often take more seals than they can consume. The carcasses of these, 
stripped of their skins and blubber, are buried in the gravel close to the 
camp, and dug up and brought home when meat becomes scarce in the 
winter. 



The habitual drink is water, which these people consume in great 
quantities when they can obtain it. and like to have very cold. In the 
winter there is always a lump of clean snow on a rack close to the lamp, 
with a tub under it to eateh the water that drips from it. This is re- 
plaeetl in the summer b\- a bucket of fresh water from some i)ond or 
lake. When the men are sitting in their open air clubs at the .summer 
••amps there is always a bucket of fresh water in the middle of the cir- 
cle, with a dipper to drink fioni. Hardly a native ever passed the sta- 
tion without stopping for a drink of water, often drinking a quart of 
cold water at a time. When tramping about in the winter they eat 
large (luantities of ice and snow, and on the march the women carry 
small canteens of sealskin, which they fill with snow and carry inside 
of their jackets, where the heat of the body melts the snow and keeps 

' "They have no set Time for Meals, hut every one eats when he is hungry, except when they go to 
sea. and then tlieir chief Repa.st is a supper .after they are come home in the Evening." (Egede, Green- 
lanil. p. ns. Compare also. Crautz, vol. 1, p. 145.) 



it liquid. This great fondness toi' plenty of eulil water has heen oficn 
noticed among the Eskimo elsewhere, and appears to lie qiiile eharae 
teristic of the race.^ They have acquired a taste for liipior, and like to 
get enough to produce intoxiration. As well as we eould .jud.u:e, they 
are easily affected liy alcohol. Some of fhem durin-- our stay learned 
to he very fond of coffee, " ka/fe," but tea they are hardly aeipiainted 
with, though they will drink it. I have noticed that lhe\ sonietinics 
drank the water produced by the melting of the sea ice a Ion;; the beach, 
and pronounced it excellent when it was so brackish that 1 found it iiuitc 
uudriukable. 



The only narcotic in use among these i)eo])le is tobacco, which they 
obtain directly or indirectly from the whites, and which 1ms been in use 
among them from the earliest time when we have any kiu)wledge of 
them. When Mr. Elscm, in the lUnssom's barge, visited Point Harrow, in 
1826, he found tobacco in general use and the most marketable artide.- 
This undoubtedly came from the Russians by way of Siberia and Her 
lug Strait, as Kotzebue found the natives of the sound which bears his 
name, who were in conununication with the Asiatic coast by wa.\ of the 
Diomedes, already addicted to the use of tobacc<t in ISK;. It is not 
probable that tobacco was introduced on the Arctic coast by way of the 
Russian settlements in Alaska. There were no Russian posts north of 
Bristol Bay until 18.'33, when St. Michael's Redoubt was Imilt. When 
Capt. Cook visited Bristol Bay, in 177S, he found that tobacco was 
not used there,^ while in Norton Sound, the same year, the natixcs "had 
no dislike to tobacco."' Neither was it introduced from the I'lnglish 
posts in the east, as Franklin Ibund the "Kurmu'i'dlin" not in the habit 
of using it — "The W(;stern I'jsipumaux use tobacco, and some of our 
visitors had smoked it. but thought the flavor very disagrci'able,"^— nor 
had they adopted the habit in is:;;.^ 

When the ZVorer wintered at i'oint Harrow, according to Dr. Simpson's 
account," all the tobacco, except a little obtained from the English dis- 
covery slii])s, canu' from .\sia and was brought by the Nunatanmiun. 
At itresent the latter brin.u \ery little if any toliacco, and the supply is 
obtained directly from the shijis, though a little occasionally tinds its 
way up the coast from the southwest. 

'Sec, for instance, Egctle : "Their Drink is notliing Irat Water" (Greenlaii<l, p. 134), and, - Fur- 
thermore, tli«y put great Lumps of h<- ami Simw int.. tlit- \V:\Ur tiley .trink, to make it eooler for to 
quench their Thirst" (p. 135). "Tli.ir .Irink i. . I. .n «;,i. i,« In. 1. .i:,i..N in thehousoinagrcat copper 

vessel, or in a wooden tub. • * ' Th. x l.i ill- m - -ii|.i.l» -!. «:.i.r every day * • • and 

that their water may be cool they eh....,.' .,.l.,^ ,,|.i.....M ,, hiil. ,.,..«■ iu it" » * * (Cr-antz, 



vol. 1, p. 144). Compare, also, I'arry, i:.l vo.v., p. :.'»., " 1.. l H 
great deal of water, wliicb tliey j;et l)y mcltins .snow, anil like v 
was observed by Nordetiskiiild in Siberia (Vega, vol. 2, p. 114) 

'Deechey, Voyage, p. 308. 

^Tliinl Voyai;.., vnl.2,p.4.'!7. 

'Ibid. -, |., IT'.l, 

«Se( 1 Kxp..p.l30. 



:lulik are 



fondness fill 



GG THE POINT T'.AKKOW ESKIMO. 

They use ;ill kinds of tohaccn, hut readily distiiiyuisli and desire the 
sorts considered better by the whites. I'or instance, tiicy were eager to 
get the excellent quality of "Navy" tiibaeeo I'mnislied by the Com- 
missary Department, while one of our iiarty \\lii> iiad a large quantity 
of exceedingly bad tinecut tol)aec() could hanlly give it away. A little 
of the strong yellow •'('iicassiau" tobacco used by the Russians for 
trading is occasionally brought up lioiu the southwest, aud perhaps also 
by the Xunatanniiun, and is \ cry highly juized, probably because it was 
in this form that they tirst saw tobacco. Snuff seems to be unknown; 
tobacco is used only for chewing and smoking. The habit of chewing 
toltacco is almost universal. Men, women, and even children, though 
the latter be but 2 or 3 years old and unweaned,' when tobacco is to be 
obtained, keej) a "chew," often of enormous size, constantly in the mouth. 
The juice is not spit out, but swallowed with the saliva, witliout pro- 
ducing any signs of nausea. The tobacco is idu'wed by itself and not 
sweetened with sugar, as was ol)served by Hooper and Nordenskiijld 
among the "Olmkches."* 1 knew but two adult Eskimo in Utkiavwiii 
who did not chew tobacco, and ime of these adopted the habit to a cer- 
tain extent while we were there. 

Tobacco is smoked in pipes of a peculiar jiattern called kui'nyi!, of 
which the collection contains a series of ten specimens. 

Of these, No. 89288 [705],^ figured in Ray's Point Barrow Report, 
Ethnoh)gy, PI. i, Fig. 1, will serve as a tyi)e. The bowl is of brass, 
neatly inlaid on the upper sm-face with a narrow ring of copper close to 
the edge, from which lun four converging lines, 90° apart, nearly to the 
center. Round the under surface are also three concentri(^ rings of 
copj)er. The wooden stem appears to l)e willow or birch, and is in two 
longitudinal sections, held together by the lashing of sealskin thong 
which serves to attach the bowl to the stem. This lashing was evidently 
put on wet aud allowed to shrink on, and the ynds ar-e seciu'cd by tuck- 
ing under the turns. The whipping at the mouthpiece is of fine sinew 
thread. A picker of steel for cleaning out the bowl is attached to the 
stem by a piece of seal thong, the end ol' w hicii is wedged under the 
turns of the lashing. The remaining pipes are all of the saints general 
pattern, but vary in the nniterial of the bowl and in details (tf execu- 
tion. The stems are always of the same material and put together in 
the same way, but are sometimes lozenge-shaped instead of elliiitical 
in section. The lashing is sometimes of three-ply sinew braid. The 
bowl shows the greatest variation, both in form and material. 

Fig. Gft (No. 5G737 [10], from Utkiavwiii) has an iron bowl, noticeable 
for the ornamentation of the shank. The metal work has all been done 
with the file except the fitting of the saucer to the shank. This has 
evidently been heated and shrunk on. Three pipes have bowls of 

■ (,:..r,ip:iii. ,T. Simiison, op. cit., p. 250, and NordonskioUl, Vega, viil. 2. p. 116. 

'1. nlM.tc.., p.83; Vega, vol. 2, p. 110. 

' llir iiiiiiibera first given are tlioao of the N.atJonal Museum ; tin- iinmlK.-rs in braeket.^ are tliose of 



MURDOCH.] riPEiS (*7 

smoothly groimcl stone. No. ,S!tL>sy [1582] (Fiff. i\b from ITtkiMvwTii) is 
of rather soft ^-eeuish gray slate. No. S'.L'!l(l [S(i 1 1 is of t lie, same shape 
but of hard greenish stone, wlille the tliird stone pipe (N,,. S'.ti'in |.s;!ll 
from Utkiavwin), of gray slate, is ut'iiuite a diU'erent. patlei-ii. Tliree of 
the .series have bowls of reimleiT antler, lined with thin sheet, brass 
and one a bowl of walrus i\or\, lined with thin eoppta-. (See I'ig. (Jc 
Nos. 89285 [954J, S<)L'St; |!»1.-.|, and S!tL'S7 [ 1I2!IJ.) 




^"""^^^^^^asxaiiiiojin^ 



Antler an.l ston,' pipes. 



■ boH 



pattern and rathei- small aic usually 
carried hy tin- men oul of doois, while t\u' moie .'laborate metal pipes, 
whi<-li are often veiy large and handsome (I Iniv.- seen some with a 
sam-erat least .I inches in dianu'ter) are more frequently used in the 
house and l.y the w.Miien. Tln^ stem is usually 1 foot or l-'i inches long, 
though pipes at least is inches long were seen. 

To niost pipes are attach. mI pickers, as in the type spccinuMi. The 
picker is in all cases of metal, usually iron or steel, but sometimes of 
cop[)er(se.. the pi.-kers attached to j.ipes above). When iHit in use tin- 
point is tucked under the lashing on the stem. The pipes are readily 
taken apart for cleaning. 



68 THE POINT BAKKOW KSKIMO. 

No. SilL'ltL' [1751.'] (Fig. 7) is an fxtciiiiioiizcd pipe iiiadi' in a liiiiTy 
by a mail who wislied to smoke, but liad no pipe. 

It is sini])ly a ron,!;b willow stick, slightly whittled inio slia|)e, split 
and hollowed out like a iiipesteni. It is held to-clher li> a whipping 
of sinew thread and a lashing of ileerskin thong, fastened by ii slip- 




Pipe madtj of willow stick. 



knot at one end, the other being tucked in as usual. A small funnel- 
sliape<l hole at one end serves lor a bowl, and shows by its charred 
surface that it has Ixen actually used. This pipe was bought fi'Oin one 
of the "Nunatauiuiun." who were in camp at Pernyii in 1883, and shows 
its inland oiigiu in the use of the deerskin thong. A coast native would 
have used seal thong. 

The jiiiii' is cai rie<l at the girdle, either with the stem thrust inside 
the breeches or in a bag atta<dicd to the belt. No. r.(;744 [55] (Utkiavwm) 
is the only specimen of ])ipe liag in the i-olleetion. It is a long, narrow, 
eylindric bag, made of four wliite einiine skins, with two hind legs and 
two tails forming a fringe round t lie bottom, whi<'li isof dres.seddeer.skiu, 
in one piece, tiesh side out. The band round the mouth is of graydeer- 
skin,ruiiningoiilyt\\ci I birds of the way round. Thepiece which fills the 
remaining third runs out into the strajt for fa.stening the bag to the 
belt. The ornamental strips on two of the longitudinal seams and 
round the bottom are of deerskin. The seams are all sewed "over and 
over" on the "wrong" side with sinew thread. This is an unusually 
handsome bag. 

Tobacco is carried in a small pouch of fur attached to the girdle, and 
tucked inside of the breeches, or sometimes worn under the jacket, 
slung lound the neck liy a string or the necklace. The collection con- 
tains thiee of tliese. of which No. S080.3 [8,sil] (Fig. ,S(/) will serve as a 

It is mailc by sewing together two pieces of wolverine fur, hair out, 
of the same shajx' and size, and round the mouth of this a band of short- 
haired lightcohucd deerskin, also hair out, with the ends meeting at 
oiK^ side in a seam corresiioiiding to one of the seams of the wolverine 
fill-. The mouth is ornamented with a narrow liand of wolverine fur, 
the tlesh side, which is colored red, turned (mt. It is <dosed by a 
liiece of seal thong about ."> inches long, one end of which is sewed to the 
middle of the seam in the deerskin band and the other passed through 
a large blue glass bead and knotted. This string is wound two or three 
times round the neck of the bag, and the bight of it tucked under the 



TOBACCct roi'' 



Hi) 



turns. The scams art' all sewed •• o\-eiaiiil (iNcr" on llie •• wrdiiu" side 
with sinew thread. 

These tobaecu pouches are usualh .,1 , s„inl n pilKin ., sluliih 

narrowed at rhe iierk. and .ui'neralh liiiui d lonnd lli. nioulli wiih i 
nari'ow strip of wohcrinc liir as d>o\( I In \ m olti n oi n inn id< il 
witli taji's of wolvei'inc fui' on th. s( uns i is m \o s'isOl |I l| j i^ 
Sh]), and borders of diffe real colon.! sj m \o viso , |i ,(ij is \,i\ 
elaborately (iriiaineiited. it is iiia.h ot blow n <i( . i si m liiininid willi 

and red worsted, and little ta.^s of tin 1 itti i \i( oidin, to Di Siiiip 
son,' these bays are called ■• del-la in ii \ n W . ii, ^h i t. d to ol.i iin 
the proper names for them, as we alw i\s ni idi iisi ot tin lin^ii i li ini i 
"tiba'i>uksak,"baji- fortiba'(tobac. o) \o s'i'Mi [ss'ij , out mis isp,, 
imen of toba.'co as iircjiared for smokiii, b\ th. 1 si, lliis . ousists 





ila.-krav.'n.lisii ,,i- •• Navy" toba.v.i. .-lit u]i vci 



mix.'.l wilh lln.dy .-iH.pp.Ml w.io.l iii th.' i""!" 

t..ba.-.-., t ...if W.....1. W.' w.-ivinforiii.Mll 

for (his i.nrp.is,.. {'..rliaps this may haw s. 
as well as s.Tviii- t.) mak.' III.' toba.'c.> o-. 
recogniz.' any sii.-ii llax.ir in soiii.' toba.'c.) Ir 



r twi^s \\r\v iise.l 



Op. fit., p. 313. 



A KM 


;()W ESKIMC 




hnci 


•..siiKikcaiid 


isv 


icll , 


i,f sonic, of tl 


III' <- 


■kii 


(iwii to lie ;i(l 


nltc 



70 TIIK Vn 

pijic is (lifV<Tnir IVoin ;iny other toliiici-o smoke and is ver\ <lisii.nroeable. 
It lias some resemlilame to tlie smell of some, of the eheaper l.railds of 
Nortli Carolina tohaeeo wliieli aie known to lie adnlterateil with other 
vegetable substances. The method of smokin.u- is as follows: After 
clearing out the bowl with the picker, a little Avad of deci' haii, plucked 
from the clothes in some inconspienons )ilace, ueiicrally the front skirt 
of the inner jacket, is ramnicd down to the bottom of the howl. Thi.sis 
to prevent the tine tobacco from getting into the stem and clogging it 
U].. The bowl is then tilled with tobacco, of which it only holds a very 
small quantity. Th.' mouthpiece is i.laced between the lips, tlie tobacco 
igidtcd, and all smoked ont in two or three strong inlialation.s. The 
smoke is very deeply inhaleil and allowed to pass out slowly from the 
mouth and nostrils, bringing tears to the eyes, often ])roduoing giddi- 
ness, and ;ilniost always a. violent lit ol' coughing. I have seen a man 
almost prostrated from the etfects of a single jiipefnl. This method 
of smoking has been in vogue since the time of our lirst acquaintance 
with these ],eople.' 

Though they siiuike little at a time, they smoke frequently when to- 
bacco is plentiftil. Of late years, since tobacco has become plentiful, some 
have adopted white men's pijies, which they smoke without inhaling, 
and they are glad to get cigars, and, since our visit, cigarettes. In con- 
versation with us they usually called all means for smoking "pai'pa," 
thechildren sometimes specifying "pai'pa-sigya'" (cigar) or "mukpara- 
pai'pa," paper-pipe (cigarette). The use of the kui'nyi>, which name 
appears to be applied only to the nati\ e jiipcs, seems to be confined to 
the adults. We knew of no children ow ning them, though their jiarents 
made no objection to their chewing tobacco or owning or using clay or 
wooden pipes which they obtained from us. They carry their fondness 
for tobacco so far that they will even eat the foul oily refuse from the 
bottom of the l)owl, the smallest portion of which would produce nausea 
in a white man. This habit has been observed at Plover Bay, Siberia.^ 
Tobacco ashes are also eaten, probably for the sake of the potash they 
contain, as one of the men at TJtkiavwiii was fond of carbonate of soda, 
which he told the doctor was just like what he got from his pipe. 
Pipes of this type, differing in details, but all agreeing in having very 
small bowls, frequently of metal, and some contrivance for opening the 
stem, are used by the Eskimo from at least as far south as the Yukon 
delta (as shown by the collections in the National Museum) to the An- 



wasmixcd with -n-n.ul \.., j, p : "" I i : ; \l. i i. . .: |. xxix) describes .1 precisely sim- 

iUrmetUodof smokliiL- II -i li" M.nl 1 I I i.n, was "melange A de la raclure 

do saulc" and the pii". ■.\ .1- I illi '1 l.\^M.. .1, \i'i i> .i-. [1 .^ili 

' Sec Hooper, Tents, elc. p. 177, ami Uiill. AlasK:,. p ,m . 



dersoii River and Oajic liatliiirst,' and liavc even been ailniilcd by {\n- 
Indiansoftlu' Yukon, wlio lean;. 'd the nsr oC IoI.mcco rr..iii Ihc I'.skinin. 
They are lllld(.)ubtt'dly <it' Sihciian origin, as will lii> seen by cuinpaiinj,' 
the figure of a •'Chnki-ir' pipe in XonlmskiiiM's V.-a, v.il. L'. p. 117. 
Fig. 7, and tlie fifi'urc of :i ■|'minnsr i)ipf in Scfbolim's -Sibriia in Asia" 
(p. 149), with the pipes li-uicd IVoni onr rolled ion. Moirovcr, the 
method of smoking is i.ivciscly that inartiml in Siberia, cMai b. the 
proportion of wood mixed witii the tobaeeo.' 

The consideration of the (piestion whenee the Sibeiians aeipiireil this 
peculiar metliod of smoking wonlil lead ine bey(pn<l llie bimnds of llie 
present work, hut I can not ]ea\c the snbjeel of pi|ies williont ealling 
attention to the fact thai NordcnskiJild^ lias allnded to the reserablancc 
of these to the Japanese pipes. A gentleman who lias spent many 
years in China also informs me. that the ('liiiiesi> pipes are of a very 
similar type and smoked in much the same way.' The ( Irecnianders 
and eastern E.skimo geuei-ally, who lia\e learned the use of tobacco 
directly from the Eurojicans. use large bowled pipi's. wliich they smoke 
in the ordinary manner. In talking with ns the ]ie<iple of I'oinI {'.arrow 
call tobacco "tiba"' or •• tibaki,'' hut among themselves it is still known 
as ta'wak, which is the word found in use among them by the earliest 
explorers.^ "Tiba" was evidently learned from the American whalers, 
as it was not in use in Dr. Simpson's time. It is merely an atlem]it to 
pronounce the word tobacco, but has been adopted into the Mskimo 



1 This i» .iu interesting l 


fact, ius it 


shows tha 


smoke from tlio people of 


Point Barrow, 


andi 


pipes "moililrrt nftir tin- 


Hay pip 


CS of 


thf 1 


They .ir.|"i.-l 11m lM!.:t ^ 


tl„. 


1...I-.V 


,...-, IS 


tobacr,.,-. . :.!.:.:,.. ... 








(Tents ..<. i> ' - 1' ■ 


.! M.... 






inform..! 1.1,,.. 








came through 11,. „■ _' 








Michaels, but wl,,.l ■: 








The Eskimo .....^ ,; 




1 ■ 


r ■ 


Island, an(l»:iv.,i ..., > .■ 








Theevid...,.-.. «l„.l, l..,.i 


, I', p.,, 




. I,. 1,. 


The Ma.k.ii/,,. ^•.:u^., . 


..11 Ih.- |. 


... .,,!.. 


wi,.. 


Now, thi. p...|.l. «1... li'.. 


- M..ll.'.l 


1.. Si 


Mi.l 


katcliis ■(!); tli.ivl.M.- .N, 


,ll..>..\ il. 


is lu- 


..li.il.l 


rancienfurtr.i.sseMic.ha, 


■lowski, .' 


ll ,■.• . 




design6o par lios Tclii^'l 


it sous 1.. 


ii.iiii 


il .1, 


gcographique qui .onvic 


nt au\ SI 


■.I.ut, 


lii.'. 


trionalo, aelou Ir <-.apit;iin 


.■ 1! ii.> 




1,1 |...i 


of Dall and other nioiler: 


u ..\|.l..i.. 




tins 1 


other errors. 








2 See Wran-..ll. Narr.il 


iv.- .il' ,LTI 


V.:]n 


..lili.,l 


smoke in tl,.- >„:„„,.■,■ . .. 


1 II 1.. 


,ill 1 


h.- II.'. 


SW.-lllow il, ,111.1 :.ll..« il 1 






1 liv 1 




ir.h u...,.l 


1.. 1., 


.,ll,.'il 


crally, 1 li.li.v.', ab,.,ii ..i 




ill ..1' 


WUU.l 


2, p. UB.I 









on, N.arr.ative 


. p. 15fi- 


-■•t. 


iiliacro, which * ■ 


irso from Kus, 


iiau trail. 


■ra I 


•■ n..o,„.r. Tents, .tl 


Tetitot calls 


ta'Wftk •■ 


mo 


t franjais cnrrompu 



72 



THE POINT liAKKdW KSKIMC 



language sufficiently to lu- used as the nidiciil in connMmntl words such 
as "tiba'xutikiVktfirn;," ■• 1 liavc a supply nf tobaccn." Tlicic is no 
evidence, that anythinji' else was smoked l.eloiv tlic intiodn.'tion of 
tobacco, and no i)ipes seen or collected ajipear older than (lie tiiije when 
we know them to huA'e had tobacco.' 

HABITATIONS. 

The winter house (iV//«).— The ])ernianent winter houses are built of 
wood^ and thickly covered with clods of eaith. Kach house consi.sts of 
il .single room, nearly scpiare. entered by an und(Tiironn<l jiassage about 
25 feet long and 4 to 4i feet high. The slo])ing mound of earth wlii(di 




Fig. 9.— Plans of Eakiiuo wiuter house. 



covers the liousc, grading off insensibly to the level of the groiiml. gives 
the houses tlie ajijH'arance of V)eing underground, especially as the laud 
on which they stand is irregular and hilly. Without very careful 
nieasiu-ements, whii'li we were unable to make, it is impo.s.sible to tell 
whether the floor is above or below tlie surface of the ground. It is 
certainly not very far either way. I am inclined to think that a space 



\\-nrt\ for pipe, "kuinyu," lias been found to bo of Siberian origin. 
' 1 1 in origin of some customs of the Western Esliimos " (Amer- 



f which are still to be seen at the southwest eutl of the vil- 
ied for timbers. Compare Lyon Journal, p. 171. where the 
entirely constructed of the bones of whales, unicorns, wal- 
filled with earth and moss. 



73 



at or near the top of a hillock is simply h'vclcd to ifccivc ilic il(M,r. i,, 
this case the back of the house on ;i lull side, like some in I'lkiax win 
would be underjjiouud. 

The passage is entered at the farthfr end hv :i v.tMcmI slmit ii,,,,,! c. 
feet deep in the (tntti ot i vit t ji mk nn I oi < n ili I ound iln mk mh i^ 
asquiic fi lUK oi ( ondmu ot wood Did UNk 1 > oj uond u iihiidin 



tlu sh itt to St 1 M IS stt ps ()n( ol two lloUM - 111 I ll 1 i\ u 

coinpinion liddds m tin shift lliis uiti iint ( m 1>. , 
pi((cof waluis hide 01 i woodt n ( o\( i ihmmm \\( iilni 
fanulj lis awaj lhepissi<T( !•, liioiit I t( 1 1 widi md (1 



ip-s 



T- 



Li 



I I 







''uU\\Aj:w ''^ 



root lit siip|ioit((i b\ tliiilK i-~ ot uli ill lioiK Oil lilt luhl li ind lit II 

a w ) pi! 11 loot ( o\( M d with t mil I , i 1 ^ni ill inoiind ( lost 

tt til. iMii-. \\itii I siiiok. h .It III till iiiidtll. iikI .i\c 1. ihtditii 

wild, \lll.llsdllk md lilt, 111 II lt<.>MS01l til. ..th.l M.l. s.l\t is 

stoic lotniis lilt ])issi_( Is il\\i\si(\ iii.Iiliil 

'XI tlic Hint 1 t 11. 1 it till j.issi,. 1 . 11. Ill 11 '1 i|m1o )i 111 111. tlo>iop. lis 
into the 111 nil loom ot tin lions. , los. toili. will it tli. mi. I. II. .it .m. 

enil lhedt)oi is it siit h ihd^lit tiointii. lioti .>! tli. tniin. Iilut i 

man standing cutt in tht. tiinnt 1 li is liis In id in.l sli..iil.l. i s m tli. 
rotnii riit St it)oms \ ii\ soiiit\\hif iii ilim. nsions but u. ^tiitiilh 
about IJ 1)1 II l..t l.m, m.l s .n Id li.twi.l. I la flooi,\\dIs mil 
root II. Ill I.I. ot tliiil plinksot tliittwoxl .lit ss(d smooth iiitl neitlj 
fitttti i.i^.tliti t.U't to til^t 1 111. iitUtptilt mils iciosstlu h.aisL md 
th( lotit slop, s t w iitli It h (lid lilt t\\oslo])(s 111 iiiK.piil till trout 



or 



thit tt)\\ lids tilt tntiaiKi iMiiij lonsidu ibU tlu lougu Tht wallb 



74 



THK rOTNT BARKOW ESKIMO 



iiic vcitical. tlidsi' at tlio fiiils Ix'iiii; between ■"> and 4 feet bigb, wliile 
the sides nui iij. to <! <>v 7 feet at the lidocpole. The wall plaiiks run 
up aud dowu, and those of the roof from the ridge to the ends of the 
house, where there is a stout horizontal timber. In some houses the 
walls are made of i>aneled bulkheads from some wrecked whaler. 

In the front of the h-u-e i-\rv *^'ie trapdoor there are no phink= for a 
spaee of .ibout J 1( 1 1 1 in lowti i).iit of this space is tilled in with 
shoit tian^M iM' i)eams, so as to leave a square hole close to the iidge. 
Tli:^ ii<)l( lias a stout tians\erse beam at the top aud bottom and selves 
,is I window Will n the house is o(( upied It i-<(o\(udbv atiaiisliuent 
III) iiibi lilt 111 id< ot sfnpsof se.d eiiti iil stwid to^< tliei .ind stietchcd 




Fig. U,— Interior of iglu. looking toward bench. 

ovi'i- two archeil sticks of Ught wood — whalebone was used in Dr. Simp- 
son's time' — lunniiij;- diagonally across from corner to corner. The win- 
dow is closed with a wooden shutter when the house is shut up in winter, 
but both apertures are left open in summer. Just above the window, 
close to the ridgepole, is a little aperture for ventilation. Across the 
back of the room runs a platform or banquette, about 30 inches high in 
front and sloping back a little, which serves as a sleeping aud louuging 
place. It is about 5 feet wide, and the front edge comes nearly under 
the ridgepole. It is made of thick planks running across the house, aud 
supported at each end by a horizontal beam, the end of which projects 
somewhat beyond the bench and is sujiported by a round post. At each 
side of the house stands a lainji, and over these are suspended r<wks in 
the shape of small ladders for drying clotliing,- etc. Deerskin blankets 



'Op.cit.,p.256. 

* Conip.ari? Hooper, Tents, etc., p. 46: "Small lattice shelves * * ^ on which 

e put to dry." Plover Bay. See also plate to face p. 160 Parry's Second Voyage. 



Ileal 


• Wllil 


1 t 


lictliM,rsli(. 


hilt 


one, 


laiiiily 


and otlicrs 


wiio 


■(■.Uiil; 
and; 


ir (iccii 
,(l,>|,t.., 


pants were 
1 daii-htcr. 



for the bed, wliich are rolled up and jjut under the hcncli wlicn nut in use, 
and ii number of wooden tubs of various sizes— I counlcd nine tiil)s 
and buckets in one housein Utkiavwin — (•(uniilete the In in it inc. 

Two families usually occupy such a lionsc, in wliicii case carli wife lias 
her own end of the room and lier own la 
usually sits to work. Some houses eon 
more. I knew one house in TTtkiavwifi 
thirteen in number, namely, a father witli 
two married sons each with a wife and child, his widowed sisli r with iicr 
son and his wife, and one little girl. This house was also the fa\orite 
stopping-place for people who came down from Nii\\fil< to spend the 
night. The furniture is always arranged in tlie same \\a.\ . 'I'liere is 
only one rack on the right side of the house and two on the hfl. Of 
these the father from the lamp is the i.lace for the liinip of snow. In this 
same corner are kept the tubs, and the large general eliainlter (lot ami 
the small male urinal are near the trap door. Dishes of cooked meat 
are also kept in this corner. This leaves the other corner of thc^ house 
vacant for women visitors, who sit there and sew. Male visitors, as well 
as the men of the house, when they have nothing to do, usually sit on 

the edge of the iMlKiuette. 

In sleeping tliey usually lie across the banquette with their feet to 
the wall, but soiuetimes, when there are few people in the house, lie 
lengthwise, and occasionally sleep on the floor under the banquette. 
Petitot says that in the Mackenzie region only married people sleep with 
their heads toward the edge of the banquette. Children and visitors 
lie with their heads the other way.' (See Fig. 0, ground plan aiidsection 
of house, and Figs. 10 and 11, interior, from sketches by the writer. 
For outside see Fig. 12, from a photograph by Lieut. Ray). 

At the back of the house is a high oblong scaffolding, made by set- 
tingup tall poles of driftwood, four, six, or eight in number, and fasten- 
ing on cross pieces alxnit s or 10 feet fi-om the ground, usually in two 
tiers, of which the lower sii|)|(oits the frames of the kaiaks and the 
upper sjicars ami other Inilky property. Xothiiig except very heavy 
articles, siiili as sledges, lioxes, and liariels, is (>vcr left on the ground. 
A man can easily reach this scatfold from tiie to]) of the house, but it is 
high enoiiuh to he out of leacli of tlie dogs. Tile cross ](ieces are usually 
sujiported on crotches made by lashing the lower Jaw of a walrus to 
the ])olc, so that one ramus lies along th.- latter. Scaffolds of this sort, 
usually spoken of as "caches" or "cache frames," are of necessity used 
among the Eskimos generally, as it is the only way in which they can 
jirotect their bulky property.-* 

' Monograiihic, L^tc, p. xxiii. 

»St« for iustanco, CranU, History of i;n,.„l;.i..l, vol. 1, p. 141; Franklin, Ut Expel ™' - ■■ 
(Coppcntiino Rivor) ; LM Expi'd., p. I'Jl (Moutl, of tl,o .M.irkenzic 

anil 343 (Plover Biiy, Point, liarniw, au.l Tok.r I'oiut) : J. Simpson, 
denskiold, Vcgiv, vol. 2, p. 9'J (I'itk-kaj). 



■n-hiTo they ar 



76 THE rnixT hakkow eskimo. 

Around Norti>ii Souiul, Ikiwcxci. ilicy use a inoie elaborate structure, 
consisting- of a ic.^iilar little Ikiiisc (i Icct squaic raised 6 to 10 feet from 
the ground on four posts.' 

r.elonging to cadi liousfliold. aud usually near tlic liousc. are low 
scaffolds for tlu; large boats, rows of posts for stretcliing lines of thong, 
and one or more small cellars or underground rooms framed with whales' 
bones, the skull being frequently used for a roof, which serve as store- 
houses for blubber. These may be called "blubber rooms." 

These winter houses can only be occupied when the weather is cold 
enough to keep tlu' ground hard frozen. During the summer the ])as- 
sageways are full of water, wliieh freezes at *^he beginning of winter 



^^ 






and is dwii out with a pirkax. The pe.iple of Utkiavwin began to conu- 
to us to borrow our pickax to clean out their iglus about September '2i, 
ISSL', and all the houses were vacated before July 1, both seasons. 

This ])articulai- form of winter house, though in general like those 
bnilt by other I-'skimo, nevertheless differs in nian.\ ics|iccts from any 

flat-roofed building of turf and stones, with the passageway in the 
middle of one side instead of one end, and not underground. Still, the 
door and windows were all on one side, and the banquette or "bris" 
only on the side ojijiosife tiie cntiance. The windows were formerly 
nuule of seal I'utrails, and the passage, thoirgh not underground, was 
still lower than the Uoor of tlie liouse, so that it was necessary to stei> 
up at each end.- 
A detailed description of the peculiar communal Iii mse of the East 

' Dall, Alaska, p. 13. 

'Egfde, Greenland, ji. 114; Crantz, Hiatury nf (ini-iilaud, vol. 1, ji. l:i»; liiuk, Talus and Traditions, 
p. 7. 



jrrniincH.] HOl'SKS. •J'J 

Greenlanders, of wliicli there is only one :tt cucli villiisv, will he loimd 
in Gapt. Holm's pap.i in tlir ( ;r(,oi;iiisl< Tidskiift, vol. S, pp. M7-.S!). 'Piiis 
is the long house o I' West (ueeulaiid. still lui'tliei- eloii^aled liil ii xvijl 
accommodate "half a sroie of families, thai is lo say, oO to .■)(! people" 
John Davis (ir)S(;) drseiihes the housrs of the tl leeiilaiideis '• iieere the 
Sea side," which were made with ])ieees of wood on liolh sides, and 
crossed over with jioles and then covered ov.'r witli earth.' 

At lo-lulik the permanent houses were dome shapeil, l.iiilt of l.om-s, 
with the iiiterstic.-s tilled with tnrf, and had a shoii, low passa-v.^' N,', 
Other descriptions of permanent houses are tolx'tound until we rea<-h I lie 




peoi)leof the .Mackenzie iv.uion, who Imild houses of timbers, of rather 
a jiecailiar iiattern. co\<'ivd with turf, made in the form of a cross, 
of which three or all four of the arms are the sleeping rooms, the HocU' 
being raised into alow l.ancpu'tte.^ (See Fig. i:i.) Petitot^ gives a \ cry 

excellent detailed desciii)tionoftheh(mses of the Anderson River] jile. 

Ac,cordiiigfohisa<-<-oiint the ]iassageway isl.uilt u]) of blocks of ice. lie 
mentions one house with a single alcov<' like those at Point lianow." 

\V<' have no description of the houses at tlu^ villages between Point 
Barrow and Kotzehin' Sounil, but at the latter place was tbuiid the 



'See also I'raulilin, 2(1 Exped., p. 121 (Mmitli »!' Ilii' Maikiiiziil. i 
Island, Richardson. A ground plan aiul section closely rcscmbliiiji I 
Hooper, Tcuts, etc., p. 243 (Toker I'oint). 



78 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

large triple house described by Dr. Simpson, and compared by him 
with that described by Eichardson, though in some respe(!ts it more 
closely resembles those seen by Hooper.' This house really has a fire- 
place in the middle, and in this approaches the houses of the southern 
Eskimo of Alaska. According to Dr. Simpson,^ "a modification of the 
last form, built of undressed timber, and sometimes of very small dimen- 
sions, with two HM'esses oiijiosite eaeli other, and raised a loot above the 
middle space, is very common on tlie slioresof Kotzelme >Sonnd," but he 
does not make it plain whether houses like those used at Point Earrow 
are not used there also. 

This form of house is very like the large snow houses seeu by Lieixt. 
Ray at hunting camps on Kidugrua. Dr. Simpson describes less perma- 
nent structures which are used on the rivers, consisting of sm.all trees 
split and laid "inclinhig inward in a pyiamidal finm towards a rude 
square fl-ame in the center, supported by two or more ni)riglit posts. 
Upon these the smaller branches of the felled trees are placed, and the 
whole, except the aperture at the top and a small o])eniiig on one side, 
is covered with earth or only snow.'" These buildings, and especially 
the tem]iorary ones deseiibed by Dr. Simpson, used on the Nuuatak, 
prol)al)ly ;.;ave rise to tlie statement we heard at Point Barrow that 
"the jieojile south had no iulus and lived only in tents." The houses at 
Norton Sound are (piite different from the Point Barrow form. The 
floor, which is not planked, is 3 or 4 feet under ground, and the passage 
enters one side of the house, instead of coming up through the floor, 
and a small shed is built over the outer entrance to the passage. The fire 
is built in the middle of the house, under the aperture in the roof which 
serves for chimney and w indow. and there is seldom any ban(iuette, but 
the two ends of the room are leneed olf hy loj;s hiid on the "ronnd, to 
serve as sleeping places, straw and siinice Ixnighs being laid down and 
covered with grass mats. ' 

The houses in the Knskokwim region are quite siniilai- to those just 
described, but are said to be built above ground in the interior, though 
they are still covered with sods.** Tliere are no i)ublished accouuts of the 
houses of the St. Lawrence islanders, but they are known to inhabit sub- 
terranean or ]iartly undergronnd earth-covered houses, built of wood, 
wliiletlie.VsiatieKsisimo liave aiiandonded tlie old underground houses, 
whieli were still in use at th(^ end of the last century, and have adopted 
tli(^ double-skin tent of the Chukches.^ In addition to the cases quoted by 
Dall, < 'apt. Cook speaks of finding the natives of St. Lawrence Bay iu 
1778 living in partly underground earth-covered houses.^ 



1 p. 13. 

)>. 105. Mr. E. W. Nl'Isou tulLs mt>, Uowi-ver, tliat the village 



MURDOCH.] VILLAfiES. 79 

Arrangement in riU(i(irs. — Tlic village of Utkiavwin (iccuiiics a narrow 
strip of ground aloii.i;- the <'il.i;c of tlic clilfs of ('a|ii- Siiiydi, alioiil 1,(10(1 
yards long, and cxtriKling some I.'.O yanls inlaiid. Tlir lionsi's arc 
scattered among the liillocks without any altcmiil al rc;;iilaiil\- and at 
diiferent distaures from each otlicr, sonictinics alone and sonu'timcs in 
groups of two coutiguous houses, A\hi<h oftm lia\c a common cache 
frame. Nuwuk, from Dr. Simpson's account ' and wind wc saw ii] onr 
hurried visits, is scattered in the same way over the knolls of I'oint 
Barrow, but has its greatest extension in an cast and \\'est direction. 
From Simpson's account {il)id.) douliie houses appear moic common at 
Nuwuk than at Utkiavwin, and he even si)eaksof a few threefold ones. 
All the houses agree in facing south. This is undoulitedh to a<imit 
the greatest amount of light in winter, an<l seems to lie a tolerably 
general custom, at least aTuong the northern Eskimo. -' 

The custom of having the dwelling faee south appears to l)e a deeply 
rooted one, as eveu the tents in summer all face the same way." 

The tents on the sandspit at Plover Bay all face west. The same was 
observed by the Krause brothers at East ( 'ape. ' At Utkiavwin there 
are twenty-six or twenty-seven inhabited houses. The nninhaliited are 
mostly ruins and are chiefly at the soidhwest end of the xilla.^c, though 
the breaking away of the cliffs at the other end has ex]iose(l the ruins 
of a few otherold houses. Near these are also the ruins of the buildings 
destroyed by the ice catastrophe desciilied al)ove ()>. ol). The mounds 
at the site of the United States signal station arc also tlie ruins of 
old iglus. We were told that "long ago," before they had any iron, 
five families who "talked lik(^ dogs" inliabited this village. They 
were called Isii'tkwamiun. Similar mounds are to li(> seen at rernyi'i, 
near the jiresent summer camp. .Vboiit these we only learned that 
people lived there "long ago." AVe also heard of ruined houses on the 
banks of Kulugrua. 

Besides the dwellings there are in Ttkiavwin three and in NiiwOk 
two of the larger buildings used for dancing, and as workrooms for the 
men, so often spoken of a ig other ivskimo. 

Dr. Simpson states-' that they are nonunally the property of some of 
the more wealthy men. We did not hear of this, nor did we ever hear 
thedift'erent buildings distingiushed as "So and-so's," as I am inclined 
to thiidi woidd have been the case had the custom still prcvaileil. They 
are called kn'dyigi or kiVdrigi (karrigi of Simps., n), a word which (;or- 
resjionds, mutatisniutandis, with the (irccniandic kagsse, which means, 
first, a circle of hills round a small deep valley, and then a circle of 

' Op. cit., 11. 2,")6. 

"For oxainpl.-, I find it inrTili.ninl in OniiilMii.I liy Kano, 1st Grinuc-U Exp., p. 40; .itlglulikby 
Parry, 2(1 Voy., p. 4'J;); .in.l .it iIh „...nll, h1 iIr- Ma.ki-nzie by Fraukliii, 2d Esp., p. 121, as well as 
by Dr. Sim[wonat Nuwuk, i.|. .il , ]. -.Ml 

» Froliisl.cr »ay.s tlio tents in M. t:i I ,„ H-^nilii (in l.'-.TT) wi.ro "so pitched up, th,at tl.o entrauco into 
thoin, is alwaius'soutb, or aKamsl III.- Simm-. ' Uakluyfs Voyages, etc., (ISSD) p. 028. 

*tleograplii8cUo Blatter, vol. 5, p. 27. 

» Op. cit., p. 259. 



80 THE POINT HAK'KOW ESKIMO. 

people who sit close together (ami tlicn. curiously i'iioii.i;li, a brothel). 
At Utkiavwiii they arc situated al)out the luiddlr of the village, oue 
close to the bank and tlie otlu-is at tli.- otlicrcd-c .it the village. They 
are built like the uUwv limiscs. but air bioad.T than long, with the 
ridgepole in the nn.bllc, so tluit tiic two slojics of tlic roof are equal, 
and are not coNiTi'd with turf, like the dwellings, being only iiartially 
banked up witli eaitli. 

The (uie visited by Lieut, b'ay on the occasion of tlie"tr«'e danee" 

was 10 by L'O fe.'t anil 7 feef hi.^h under the rid,i;-e. and held sixty ] pie. 

Ill the fall aud spring, when it is warm enough to sit iii the kii'dyigi 
without fire and with the window oiu-n, it is used as a general lounging 
place or club room by the men. Those, who have car]ieutering and sim- 
ilar work to do bring it there and otln^rs come ,sim])ly to lounge and 
gossip aud hear the latest news, as the hunters when they come iu gen- 
erally repair to the ku'dyigi as soon as they have put away their 
equipments. 

They are so fond of this general resort that when nearly the whole 
village was eneanqicd at Imekinin in the sjiring of ]S,s,{, to be near the 
whaling ground, they extemporized a club house by arranging four 
timbers large enough for seats in a hollow square near the middle of 
the camj). The men take turns in catering for the club, each nian's 
wife furnishing and cooking the food for the assembled party when 
her husband's turn comes. The did) house, however, is not used as a 
sleeping place for th.' men of the villagi'. as it is said to be in the terri- 
tory south of Jicrin.u Strait.' nor as a hotel lor visitors, as in the Nor- 
ton Sound region.- \isitors are either entertained in some dwelling or 
build temporary snow huts for themselves. 

The ku'dyigi is not used iu the \viuter, prol)ably on account of the 
difflcidty of warming it, exce^jt on the occasions of the dances, festivals, 
or conjuring ceremonies. Crevices iu the walls are then covered with 
blocks of snow, a slab of transparent ice is fitted into the window, aud 
the house is lighted aud heated with lamps. Buildings of this sort 
and used for essentially the same purposes have been observed among 
nearly all knowai Eskimo, except the Greenlanders, who, however, 
still retain the tradition of such structures.^ Even the Siberian Eski- 
mo, who have abandoned the iglu, still retained the kii'dyigi until a 
recent date at least, as Hooper saw at Ooug-wy-sac a performance in a 
"large tent, apparently erected for and devoted to public purposes 
(l>ossibly as a council room as well as a theater, for in jjlace of the 



16 and elsewhere; Petroff, Eop. p. 128 .and elaewhero. 



MUEDOCB.] SNOW II0LI8KS. 81 

usual inner apartments only a species of bencili of raised eardi laii 
round it)."' These buildiii^rn jivg iiuiiierons and i)articnlarly larj;f and 
much used south of Bering Strait, where they are also used as stcaiii 
bath houses.^ 

Snow houses (apuya). — Houses of snow aic used only lciii|ioraril\', as 
for Instance at the huntiiii;' giouuds on tlic i i\crs, and occasionallA' Ity 
visitors at the vilhige wlio |irclcr liavin- llicir own (|iiarters. For 
example, a man and his wife who had hccn li\ inn nt Nuwilk (h-cidcd in 
the winter of lSSl*-'8.'{ to come down \\w\ sclilr ;if I'tkiavwifi, wIhmc 

the woman's parents hved. Instead of going lo ( of t!u> houses in 

the village, they built tliemselves a snow house in wiiicli tliey spent 
the winter. The man s:iid \\v intended to built a wooden house the 
next season. These houses are not built on the dome or beehi\e sliape so 
often described among the Eskimo of the middh^, region of Dr. Kink.-' 

The idea naturally suggests itself that this form of building is 
really a snow tupek or tent, while the form used at Point liarrow is 
simply the igln built of snow instead of wood. \Vhen built on level 
ground, as in the village, the snow house consists of an oblong icioiu 
about G feet by 12, with walls made of bh)cks of snow, aiul high cMiongh 
for a person to stand up inside. Beams or i)oles are laid across the top, 
and over these is stretched a roof of canvas. At the south end is a 
low narrow covered passage of snow about 10 feet long leading to a 
low door not over 2^ feet high, above wliich is the window, made, as 
before described, of seal enti-ail. The opening at the outer enil of the 
passage is at the top, so that one climbs over a low wall of snow to 
enter the house. 

At the right side of the passage, close to the house, is a small tire- 
place about 2.^ feet scpiare and built of slabs of snow, with a, smoke liole 
in the top au(l a sticdc stuck across at the proper height to hang a pot 
on. When the tirst tire is built in such a tireplace there is considerable 
melting of the surface of the simw, but as soon as the fire is allowed 
to go out this freezes to a hard glaze of ice, which afterwards melts 
only to a trilling extent. Oi)posite to the door of the house, which is 
protected by a curtain of canvas, corresponding to the Greenlandic 
ubkuaK, "a skin which is hung up before the entrance of the house,'" 
the floor is raised into a banquette about 18 inches high, on which are 
laid boards and skins. f!ui)boards are excavated under the bancinettc, 
or in the walls, and pegs are driven into the walls to hang things on. 

1 Tents, etc., p. 136. 

^ See references to Ball and Petrotf, .ibove. 

s Parry, 2iiil Voy., p. ICO and plate opposite; Franklin, lat E.'cped. vol. 2, pp. 43-47, ground pl.in. p. 46 ; 
Boas, "Central Eskimo,"pp. 539-553; Kumlien, Contributions, etc., p. 31; Petitot, Monogr;iphie, el/-., 
p. xvii (a full description with a ground plan and' section on p. six), and all the popular accounts of 
the Eskimo. , , ,. „ 

^Gronlandsk Ordbog, p. 404: Kane'.« 1st Crinnell Exp., p. 40, calls it a " skin-coverod door. (,oni. 
pare, also, the skin or matting hun^ ..vcr the entrance of the houses at Xorton Sound, 1>:,I1. .\lasl<,-, p. 
13, and the hear-skin doors of the N uuataiiuuuii and other Kotzebue Sound natives, meutioucl i,y or. 
Simpson, op. cit., p. 259. 
9 ETH 6 



I thith.T in tlic winter, a iilacc 
;(lc,'|.ly (liirtcd under tlif cd-c 
■ can 111' niailc by excavation, 
and routed over with slabs of 



82 THF, POINT liAKRoW ESKIMO. 

As such a house is only hir-e enon.uh U,r one taniiiy. tliere is only one 
lamp, which stan<ls at tin- ri-ht-liand side otthe house'. 

At the luuitin.i;- -rounds, or on I 
is selected for the house where the 
of some bank, so tliat most ..f tlie house can 
When necessary. Ilie walls are built u|. and 
snow. Su.di a hous.' is very speedily built. The first party that goes 
over the road to the huntin.u' .urouud usually builds houses at the end of 
each day's march, and these serve for the ])arties eominj;- later, who 
have sim])!,v to clear out the drifted snow or i>erhai)s make some slight 
repairs. On arriving at the bunting ground they establi.sb them.selves 
in larger an<l more eomfortable houses of the same sort: generally for 
two families. I.ieut. Ray, who visited these camps, has drawn the plan 
rei)resented in Fit;-. 11. Theie is a ban(iuette, «, at each end of the room, 



tt 



k of the room 
1 similar eupb 



which is much broader than long (conipar.- the form of house e 

at Kotzebue Sound, mentioned above, ji. 7S), but only one la 

alow shelf of snow, /*, running across t 

below into a sort of <Mipboard. There ; 

ferent places in the walls.and a long ti 

;,and kitchen, /(. fioni which a branch 

hou.se. The tlo(n- is niark.'d -/. the , 

door e. The house is lighted by t 

brought from the village. 

On going into eamp the railed sled is stuck ix.ints down into the 
aud net i)ole.s, or iee-pioks, thrust through the rails, making a t 
rary cache frame,' ou which are hung bulky articles— snowshoe 



immon 
u]., on 
ivated 



.dso similar cupboards,,', 
el,/", with the usual storei 
iiud often leads to an a(fj 
•ance to the tunnel ,/. ai 
seal-uut windows of th 



lining 
(1 the 



empo- 
s and 



' Compare Dr. Simp.-ion's ili-scri 

^Compare the wooiltMit nn p. 401 

up on end with their " upstamlcr: 



vril. 1, of Kane's 2cl Esp , whcri' tw 
meeting to form a platform — Smitli 



MURDOCH.] SNOW IlorSF.S TKXTS. 83 

guus.' Small storeliouscs of snow nv i<c arc luijll locimtaiii |ni>\ isimis. 
In the antiinui Tiiiuiy"siicli houses arc built in iIh' \ iiiaj;c, of siahs of 
clear fresh-witev ice al Mint 1 inclifs thick ccmcntcil toj^vtlnT by IVcczinj;. 
These resemble the buildings of fresh-water ice at lulnlik. (iescrib.-i! Uy 
Capt. Lyon.- 

Other temporary structures of siuiw. sometimes erected in tin' \ illa,i;c, 
serve as^-(a;kslnips. Oin'of tlu'se. wliieh -was liniH at tiie edj^c <if the 

village, in AprilTTSS.!. was : blon.u' buihliii,- hni.n cnou.uli to liold an 

umiak, giving siiflieicnl room to.uet ai;ouiid it and work, and bclwi'cn (> 
and 7 feet high. The wails «. -re of blocks of sm.w ami tln^ roof of can- 
vas .stretched over] )oles. ( >neend wasleftojicn. but co\ered by a canvas 
curtain, ami a baminette of snow ran alou-' each side, it was lighted 
by oblong slabs of clear ice set info the walls, ami waruu'd by several 
lamps. Several men in succession used this house for repairinu' and 
rigging uj) their umiaks, and others who had w hittliii.i; to do bronjiht 
their -work to the same jilaee. 

Such boat shops are sometimes built by di.ugin.u a broad trench in a 
snowbank and rooting it with canvas. Women di.n small lioles in the 
snow, which they roof over with canvas and use for work-nxmis in which 
to dress .seal skins. In such cases there is ]irol)ably some snperstitimis 
reason, which we tailed to learn, for mit doing the work in the iglu. 
The tools u.sed in bnihlin.u thi' snow ln>uses -are the univer.sal wooden 
snow-shovel and the iv(ny snow knife, ibr cutting and trimming the 
blocks. At the present day saws are very much used for cutting the 
blocks, and also large iron kinves (whalemen's -boarding kiuves," etc.) 
obtained from the shi])s. 

Tents (<«./)^7>-).— During th.' summer all the imtives live in tents, 
which are pitched on dry places ujion the top of the cliffs or niM.n the 
gravel beach, usually in small camps of four or five tents each. A few 
families go no farther than the dry baidcsjust southwest of the villagv, 
while the rest of the iidiabitants who have not goiu' eastward trading 
or to the rivers hunting reindeer are .strung ahnig the coast. The first 
camp below Utkiavwin is Just beyoml the double la.uoon of Xunava. 
about 4 miles away, and tlu' rest at intervals of li or A nules, usmilly at 
some little inlet or stream at |ilaces called Se'k(iluka, Nake'drixo. Kuos- 
u'gru, Nuna'ktuau, Ipersua. Wa'Iakpa (K.'fuge lidet, according to ( 'ai>t. 
Maguire's ma]), Pari. IJci.. for is.-.t, opp. |.. IS(i), Er'nn-wTil, Si'ilaru. 
and Sa'krimna. It is thes.^ summer .-aniiis .seen from passing ships 
which have given ris,. to the accounts of numerous tillages along this 
coast. There is usually a small camp on the b.-a.-h at Si'nnyu ami oiu^ 
at Ime'kpuii, while a few go to Teruyu even early in the sca.son. 

As the sea opens the i.eople from the lower camps travel up the coa.st 
and concentrate at I'.aiiyu. where they meet the Nuwuiimiiui, the Nnua- 

^„. . , . , ,. i„ .,,.1.1 ,,,. .III,. :i< tho moistim^ iu till- air immciU- 



84 THE POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 

tanTiiiuH tn)d.'is. and tlif whalcinen, and aiv Joi 1 lat.'r in the season 

by the tiadin-- parties retuininy- fn>ni tlie east, all of wlioiii stop for a. 
few days at Peruyfi. On retiirniug to the village also, iu September, 
the tents are pitched in dry places among the houses aiid occupied till 
the latter are dry enough to live in. Tents are used in the autumual 
deer hunts, before snow enough falls to liuild snow houses. In the spring 
of 1883, when the land floe was very lieavy and rough off Utldavwin, 
all who were going whaling in the rtkiavwiu boats went into camp 
with their families in tents i.ilehed on the crown of the beach at Iinek 
pun, whence a path led off to tlie open water. 

The tents are nowadays always made of clot ii. either sailcloth obtained 
from wrecks or drilling, wliieh is pnrchased from the ships. The latter 
is preferred as it makes a lighter tent and liotii dark blue and white are 
used. Iteindeer or seal skins were used for tents as lately as lsr,i. 
Elson saw tents of sealskin lined with reindeer skin at Refuge Inlet,' 
and Hooper mentions sealskin tents at Cape Smyth and Point Harrow.^ 
Dr. Simpson gives a description of the skin tents at Point iJarrow.^ 
Indeed, it is probable that canvas tents were not common until after the 
great "wreck seasons" of 1871 and 1876, when so many whaleships 
were lost. The Nunatafimiun at Pernyu had tents of deerskin, and I 
remember also seeing one sealskin tent at the same place, which, it is 
my imipression. lielonged to a man from Ttkia\ win. Deerskin tents are 
used by the Anderson KiNcr natives,* while sealskins are still in use in 
Greenland and the east generally.^ The natives south of Kotzebue 
Sound do not use tents, but have summer houses erected above ground 
and described as "generally log structures roofed with skins and open 
in front."* That they have not always been ignorant of tents is shown 
by the irse of the word "topek" for a dwelling at Norton Sound.' 

The tents at Point I'.arrow are still eonstrneted in a manner very sim- 
ilartothat des( lilied by l»r. Siin]ison (see reference above). Fourortive 
poles about IL' feet long aic fastened together at the top and s^jread out 
so as to form a cone, with a base about 12 feet iu diameter. Inside of 
these about (> feet from the ground is lashed a large hoop, ujion which 
are laid shorter poles (sometimes spears, unnak oars, etc.). The canvas 
cover, which is now made iu one piece, is wrapped spirally round this 

•Boecliey's Voyage, p. 315. 

2 Tents, etc., pp.216, 225. 

'Op. cit., p. 260. 

* MacFarlane MSS. and Petitot, Mnnop-apliie, etc., p.xx, "destentes coniques {(»i';;cpA-) en peaux de 

' See Eink, Tales, etc., p. 7 ("skins" in this passage undoubtedly means .sealskins, as they are more 
plentiful than deerskins among the Greonlanders, and were used for this purpose in Egede's time — Green, 
land, p. 117;an.lKniiili,n, n),., if., p.:;:;.). Iii.Mst r,i.-.iil:iiid. accrdiu-tunolTii, "OmS.muiierc-nho Angs- 

U,.,- ,l.,i , ,n. , I. I;, .i. 1 , n I., IinI.m M,,],:,, ';, -l,,n,|,,, I,,, . I , , , , , , - 1. , ,„ I , 1 'n, I „ , ,• , ( i ro.ffT. Tids., 



'Potrofif, op. cit., p. 128. 
'Dall, Alaska, p. 13. 



MURDOCH.] 



TKNTS. 



85 



frame, so that the edg-es do not meet in front except at tlie Inn, Icavin"- 
a triangaihir sjjaee or doorway, iillcd in willi a cnrlain of wliirh |iai( isTi 
trauslueent membrane, wliicli can he coNcicd at nii^iil wit h a piece i>f 
cloth. A striuji' I'lm^ from the np|)cr coi'iicr of tiic cl(*lli ronnd llic apc\ 
of the tent and comes olili(pn>i> down the IVont to alx.nl the niiddl<' ol' 
the edge of the other end of tlie clolii. 'I"he two edi^es are also iii'M 
together by a strin.n' across the enliance. I lca\y articles, stones, uia\cl, 
etc., are hiid an tiie tlap of tlie tent to Iceep it down, and spears, pad 
dies, etc., are laiil iiii a.uainst tin- ontside. (.See Fi,--. \r>, tVom a piioto 
graph by Lieut. Kay.) 

Inside of the tent fliere is mncli less fninifur«> than in the iuln, as the 

ont(hiors on trijiods erected ovi'r tires. The sle( 




back of the tent, and is nsnally marked otf by layin- a lo- across the 
lloor. and sprcadin,';- hoards .m the uroniid. Not moiv than i>nc fandly 
nsnally ocenpy a teiil. Th.'t.'ntsat the whalin- caini. nnMition.'d ah,>v.' 

hut, and many had a low wall of snow around tli.^m. hut these had all 
nu'lled hefoie the camp was aba nd.mcd. 

These tents differ c.msiderahly in model fn.m those in use in the cast, 
thou-h all are made by stivlcliin- a .-over over radiatin- poles. Vnv 
example, the tents in (InM^nland have the front nearly vertical,' while at 
(Jiimberland (hdf two sets of poles connected ))y a ridi^vpole are u.sed, 
tho.se for the fr.mt hein- the sluuter.- The fashion at l-lnlik is some- 



1 Egiiilci, r.rconlanrl.ii.ir 
» Kumlieu, op. cit., p. 33. 



■1)1. 1. p. 141 ; Rink, Tales, etc 



8G THE POINT RAK-ROW KSK 


MO. 


wliat similar.' Small rude t.-nts only lar,i;c .-ii 


)Ut;h to hold one or two 


IK'iiph' arc used as habitations for women duri 


io- coiitinement, and for 


si'wiug- rooms wiicn they are workin.-;- on de 


■rskins in the autuiiiu. 


Tents for the hitter lairpose ar«' railed -si 


'dliwin," the place for 


working. 




HOUSEHOLD ITTENSILS 




FOR nol.IiING AND CARRYIXli FOOD, W 


ATER, ETC. 


Canteens (/'wof/i//).— None of the canteens, tli 


■ use of which has been 


described above (under "J)rinks"'). were obt; 


incd for the collection. 


They were seen oidy by Lieut. Kay and Cajit 


Ilerendeeu. who made 


winter journeys with the natives. Tliey (b-scri 


.e them as made of .seal- 



skins and of small size. I And no published mention of the use of such 
eanteeus among the E.skimo elsewhere, except in Baffin Land.^ 

Wallets, etc.— Food and such things are carried in roughly made bags 
of skin or cloth, or sometimes merely wrapped up in a piece of skiu or 
entrail, or whatever is convenient. Special bags, however, are used for 
bringing in the small fish which are caught through the ice. These are 
flat, about IS inches or 2 feet square, and made of an oblong piece of 
sealskin. i>art of an old kaiak cover, doubled at the bottom and sewed up 
each side, with a thong to .sling it over the shoulders. 

lUirkcts uniJ tiih.s. — llackcts and tubs of various sizes are used for 
holding water and other llnids. blublicr, tlesh, entrails, etc., in the hou.se, 
and are made by bending a thin 
jilank of wood (spruce or tir) round 
a nearly circirlar bottom and sew- 
in^ tli( nuK to<,(tli(i llusi lie 
inobibh illobt im.d fionitlu Xu 
n it irniiiun i^ it would bi ilinost 
inipossibh to i)io(uu '-iiit ible 
wood it Point 1> mow Hit i ol 

Idtloll lollt Ull^ tolll >-l)t ( IllK lis — 
two tubs ind two bin kt ts 

No .(.71.4 f .70| (1 1^ K.) will 

1 \t IS I t\ [.( ot tin w itt 1 biK ket 

I at III I I \ thin stiip <.l spiuce 

sin(ii(swid( isbtnt loiiiid iduu 

III l...tt 1 th( sami ^\ood U)i 

111. Ills in di iiiutu Th( tdsji of 

th. I itt.i is sluhth loiindid ind 

II. h li.>m th. I<.\\.i ..L. .>l th. suii.. 

n.his ind uc stw.d to^.th.i with 

\< iti( il sciius ot short stitihcs, one 

Li.mi ir iKo Cliipp 11 IIu.Kc ii I u pii "d- 




' W hill ut travelm„ 
purpose Kumlitu 



JtisLircbt'i I jS4 



lUCKl 



«7 



IV cIlMllll.Tcd oil ;l 



■I IS 



itcd ui 
,(■ lirlv 



seam flosc to the imtw I'lul. wl 

red, and till- uth.T l-r, in,-lirs iVom tliis. I'„,ili s 

shallow uiduNcs on the olltrr |i;ut. The lillcU 

shallow -roow niuiiin- round tUv t..p. and a n 
til.- s.'ams. T1m-s.. .uto,,v.-s nn.l the snnn .mo,,v: 

cut into a ludrourliucora wlialr. and srcnird 1. 
Ix.nc passin- thn.u-li .■(,nvs|.,,n(liu- Indrs in 
The bucket has l.e.-n sonic time in nsc. 

X<>. 5(;7(5;3 pO'.t] is a l.uck.^t wiili a bail, and 
shape and dinicusions. It lias, liowcvcr. a li 
braided to-cthcr, and thecals aiv plain tial \< 
of this size, with nails, arc especially used loi 
brinjjjiiifi- it from the i Is and streams. Tiic name •• kfilaue " corre- 
sponds to the Grecnlandic katauaK, -a water-pail with which wab'r is 
br0Uf;lit to the house." ' 

No. S'.»S!»1 [173.")] (Fii;-. ITi. which is nearly new. is a \cry lar.^e till) 
(iluli'ki)iih. which ajipeai 

Tin' sides are made, ,f t uo pi<-<-cs of plank J^ 

T 






l.ariK 



iu"l without a bail, 



of (Mjual Icii.ntli. who-, , n,U ,i\,ilip dt,i 
nat.'Iy ami are s,'w. .1 t,,^. th, i is b, t,>i. 
Th,' i.,itl,mi is in tw,. pi.,,- ,m, 1 ii ^, ind 
oue small, neatly f ist, n. ,1 t,,._.th, i with 
two dowels, and is m>l only lad, I in by hav- 
ing its edge chamf.Mcil t,i lit th.' cro/.e. but 
is ])egged in w itli Ibiirlceii sm 
The seams, edges, and two 



■nails, 
lental 



If 



grooves around the lop ar,' painted red as ^^ 

before. 

X,,. S'.IS'.MI 1 17.-..;] is smaller. '.•■7 in.dies high ami U-.". in diam.'ter. It 
has no bail.ami is ,,riiaiii,'nlc,l with two gr,M.\,'s. of which th,' l,.\vcr is 
paintcl with Idaik l>-a,l. The Iw.ttom is in tw,i cpial pi, •.■i-s. fastened 
tog.'ther with tl.iv,' ,l,.«.ds. This is a n,'W tub ami has th,' kn,.th,.les 

h,ms,''. Th,"y aiv known b\ th,' g,'n,'ri,' name ,.f imiisiaru (whi.'h is ap- 



dipper" small cups of tin' sam,' sliap,' b,'ing calh',1 i'nnisyu), but have 
sp.'.'ial naiiM's signifying their us,'. F,.r inslam'c. th,' litth' tub ab,,ut C 
incln's in ,liameter, ms,',1 by the males as a urinal, is called kuvwiil 
("the pla,'e Ibr urin.'.") One ,.f tli.'sc larg,' tubs always stands t,> 
catch the ,lri|i fr,)m th,' lump ,)f sn,iw in the house, and th,>s,' ,if the 
lar-'cst si/e. lik,' N,p. S!»S!I| |17.!r.|, are the kind us,'d as chamber p,.ts. 

V.'sscls ,.f this sort an' in us,' thnnighoul .Vlaska. ami hav,' b,.ei, ob- 
servcl among th.' ,'ast,'rn Kskim,. wheiv Ih.'y have woo,l enough to 



88 THE rOINT BARROW ESKIMO. 




make tliciii. l<"i>r instance, the Kskiiiid (if the ('(>iii)ciii 


inc Kiver 


" form very iM-at (li.slics of fir, tlic sides ])vm<r made .if tliiu 


<leal, bent 


int.i an oval form, seenreil af the ends by sewiug, and fltte( 


so ni<'ely 


to tlie hotr<im as t<i lie peifc'tly water-tight." ' There are sp 


■ci]nens iii 


the IMuseiim from the Mackenzie ami Anderson Rivers, deser 


bed in the 


Mai'Farlane MS. as "pots for drinking with, jiails for car 


ving and 


keejiing water, and also as chamher pots. ( )il is also sometii 


les carried 



wint( 



ph, 



els ot a similar ])atterii arc 

one piece being bent into the proper shape for the sides," are meutioued 
by ("apt. Parry ou the west shore of Bafflus Bay,^ and "circular and 
oval vessels of whalebone" were in use at Iglulik.^ This is the same 
as the Greenlandic vessel called pertaK (a name which appears to have 
been transferred in the form lii'tuno to the wooden meat bowl at Point 
Barrow), " a dish made of a piece of whalebone bent into a hoop, wliich 
makes the sides, with a wooden bottom inserted." ^ Xordenskiold 
speaks of vessels of whalebone at Pitlekaj, but does not specify the 
pattern.^ Whalebone dishes were used at Point Barrow, but at the 
present day only small ones for drinking-cups are in general service. 
One large dish was collected. (Fig. 18. No. 89850 [1199] ). 

A strip of whalebone 4 J inches wide is bent round a nearly circular 
bottom of Cottonwood so as to form a small tub. The edges of the bot- 
tom are chamfered to lit a 
shallow croze in the whale- 
1 )one. The overlapping ends 
of the whalebone are sewed 
together with a strip of 
\\halebone in long stitches, 
riiis dish is quite old and 
miincgiiated with grease. 
WsscK of this kind are un- 

loiiim and it is ^irobable 

that none have been made 

since whalebone acquired its 

l)resent commercial value. 

general use formerly, as when there 

iiie as at present it would be cheaper to 

to bny wooden ones. In corroboration 

t Dr. Simpson does not mention wooden- 

■s brought for sale by the Nnnataniniun." The 

Is will be described under drinking cups, which 




Tlu'V were verv 



IV in ninen nn 



til 



small whalebone 



'Franklin, 1st Exii. 
'First Vuy., p. 280. 
"Second Voy., p. 50! 



'Grmil. Ordbog., p. 293. 
» Vegn, vol. 2, p. 124. 
"Op. cit., p. 266. 




1> 



MURDOCH.] MKAT l',OWT,.S. 89 

jlfea* 60(rZ.v.— (PT'tuno. sec ivinaiks on p. SS.) Ti;iri;c womlcii how Is 
are used to liold mrat. f:it, etc.. I„,tli mw and cddked, wliiili arc -cii 
erally served on trays. Tlicsi^ arc ot local nianuractnrc and carved 
from blocks of soft driftwood. The lour specimens collccled are all 
made of Cottonwood. ;ind. exccptin;; >(). 7:;.")70 [iosj, lia\c licin loni; in 
use and arc tliorougldy iniprci;nafed witli uTeasc and hi 1. 

No. 89804 [1322] (Fi- 1!)) will serve as the type. This is deep and 
nearly circular, with Hat hottoni and ronndcd sides. The hriin is orna 
meuted with seven lar^c sl<y hlue ulass heads ind>edded in it atccpial 
intervals, except on one side, where there is a hroken notch in th(^ iilaec 
of a bead. 

Another, No. 89803 [132(1], is larjier and not flattened on (lie bottom, 
and the brim is thinner. 

It is also provided with 1/ 

a bail of seal thoiifj, \ ery 

neatly made, as follow h : „^-:;^ffl^^^| ^~" 

One end of the thony 
is knotted with a si n file 
knot into one of the lioh -- 
so as to leave one lon^ 
I)art and one slioit jiait 
(about 3 inches). The 
long part is then carried 
across mid throngh tin' 

other hole from th.' outside, hack again through the first hole and again 
across, so that there are three parts of thong stretched across the bowl. 
The end is then tightly wrappe<l in a close spiral round all the other 
parts, including tin' short end, and the wrapping is tiiiishcd off by 
tucking the end under the last turn. The specimen shows the method 

oC luendini; w leu dishes, boxes, etc., wliich have spUt. A hole is 

horeil on each side of the crack, and through the two is worked a neat 
lashini; of narrow strips of whalebone, which draws the jiarts togetlier. 
In No. S'.isi;,-) |i;!21], which has been sjdit wholly across, there are six 
•such stitches, nearly eipiidistant. holding the two parts together. This 
bowl is strengthened by neatly riv.ding a thin flat " strap" of walrus 
ivory along the edge acKPSs the end of the crack. These three bowls 
are of nearly the same shajic, which is the eomniou one. The new bowl 
(No. T.'SoTO ] HISj) is of a less common shape, being not so nearly hemis- 
i)licrical as the others, lint shaped more like a coninioii milk pan. It is 
ornamented with straight lines drawn in black lead, dividing the sur- 
face int ladranls. These w.-re probably i.iit on to catch the white 

man's eye. as the howl wasmad<>lor the market. I >ishcs of this .h'scrij.- 
tioii an- comnioii thioughont Alaska (see the National Museum collec- 
tions) and have hc.Mi notc.l at 1 Mover Bay,' 

' Hooper, Tents, etc., p.l47. 



90 



THE PdINT HARROW ESKIMO. 



Potn itf stoiii iniii (illiir niiitrriids (u'tkuxln). — In t'oniicr times, ]iots of 
soaiistdiic rrsciuiilin.u' Iliosc ciiqjloyed by the. eastern Eskimo, and 
j)nil>al)ly obtained from the same region as the lamps, were used for 
eooldnii food at I'oinI I'.arrow. lint the natives have SO long been able 
to iiroeure metal kettles diicetlyor indireetly from the whites (Elson 
foniid eo]i|ier kettles at Point Harrow in 1826)' thilt the former have 
gone wholly out of use, ami at t lie jiresent day fragments only are to be 
found. There are four such fragments in the collection, of whicli three 
are, of the same inodel and one ciuite different. 

No. 89885-6 [1559] (Fig. 20) is sutticiently whole to show the pattern 
of the first type. It is of soft gray soapstone. A large angidar gap is 
broken from the miihlle of one side, taking out about half of this side, 

and a small angular 



I'.isn, 



On^ 



<lo« 



nd 



a str 
i-s to 



edge earned ron 
side. This end ; 
as there are holes for si 
upiier edge of the brol 

theoth.-r sid • the ^ 

low transverse ridge ai 

bored one-fourth to oi 
bored obliquely tliroui; 
holes in the sides close 
place of these. The \h 
slightly r(mnd.'d. Its 
so<,t and .rusted with oil and dirt.- 

Xos. s'.issd |r.s(i| and S0S6S \um;\ 

thv broken ends <,f pots slightly s: 



ISS tl 



. the .'or 
is neatly 







pie 

ton 


ee from the 
1. From the 


bot- 
cor- 


Pf> 


''"^■-^ 


nei 


■ of this gaj) 


the 


^A 


^^ 




has been br( 


•ken 


^^ 


m 


obi 
bot 


ii|nely across 


■ tlie 
idcd 


dpi 


W 


three jilaces 


with 






stit 


ches of wl 


hale- 






bol 


,<■ ma<le as 


de. 






s<-r 


ibed under 


No. 


vn for 


about h 


alt i 


ts height. an< 


1 the 


ne till i 
.-•■n iiie. 


•e,l with 


the 
a fi 


gaj, in the bn 
eshi.ieceof st 


:)ken 

one, 


he edg 


1- of the 


win 


lie side ami ii 


.the 


Tlnn-e I 


are also 


t\y( 


• ■•stitch holes" at 


ig how 


it was < 


irigi 


nally mended 


. A 


iddh' <i 


if the w 


liole 


end was prob 


ably 


b\- win 


i.di tin- 


pot 


was hung up 


i are 


1 from 


the brim. 


Two of these 


are 


lers. \vl 


neh ai-e 


now 


- brc.ken off. 


The 


ners \y( 


■re ]iroli 


.ably 


made to tak. 


■ the 




no..thly 
at age. 


mad 
an.l 


e, and the bri 
is blackened 


with 



to tl 



the end. ' Tl 



stl 



red thnmgh the 



lete. They are 
i\e, but of pre- 
rse ridge across 
s as before, and 



1 Beechey's Voyage, p. 572. 

^Tliis specimen was Ijroken 
It ia now mended witli glue. 

3 Compare these pots witli t.h 
of tlifsf? li.is .a ridge only on tli. 
also allows how the pota were \ 



transporlatH 
wo figured ii 



ved different llu 



P.arry'a 2d Voyage (plate opposite p. 160). 
■ end, but on tlie larger the ridge runs all tlll^ way roiiu 
iiiug up. See also Fig. 1, itlate opposite p. 548. 



jiriiPocH.] KTON'I'^ roTS. 

in bothxKits are holes sliowiiiy- where they liaxc been 
bone stitelies, fniiiiiients of whicli are slill sticUiiiu 
method of nieiidiiis- soapstoiie vessel ^ I)y sewiiii; is i 
Parry as praetieeil at Ighilik.' 

No. 898S3 [lOitT) (Fig. 21) is a small jiol of a ipii 
best uudei-stood from the li-aic llomid the, edge 
strings nearly eiiuidistaiit. The (lutsidc is rough 
bottom. One of th<^ sides is niiirh gapped, and i\u- 
broktm off obli.|nely and mended with a stit( h of u h 
used in mending these vessels sliows that tliey wei 
easily replaeed. 1 can 

find no previous mention 1/ 

of the use «d' stone ves- '^ 

sels for cooking on the 
western eoasf, and there 
are no speeimetis in tin 
Nati<.nal .Mu-enm .'olh-e 
tions. Theoids i:-kin„ 

stone Vev^cK ale a eon]il( 
ofsmallMonel.oxvKiVom 
Bristol I'.a.N. TheM- aie 
rery mn<-li the >liape of 
the -woodeti bowls ;ib<i\ e dcMi ibed 
dishesaiidiDt foreooking. a- iheii 
outside is not blackened. On th 
very generally employed e\en n< 
been frcMiiieii'tly des<-"nbed.- The 



in onepol. This 
nentioned hyCapt. 

le ditlerent shape. 

, e-^perially on tlu' 
acute tip has been 
alebone. The care 
■e valuable and n(.t 




eb.'enuM^das ,.il 
hgreaM', whdetnc 
■cook.ng pots uu 



th.a-hand, stone co 

b\ fheeaMcin K.^kinios, and I 

o>e resemblance of the jiots t 



Toiiit Harrow to those; 
with Dr. SiinpM.n's >ta 
the ea-t. renders i^t \i 
same ua\. Th.' ab^'ii 
Alaska is probably di 
wooded district they ^ 



■scribed by ("apt. Tarry. 1ak« 
lent ■ that the stone laiiii)s \\( 



dd h; 



that b, 
) II ceil < 



ihabilaiit' 
rivances 



o\-er a lamp. 

i obtained three fragnieiits of pottery, which had every apjiearanci 
of great age and were sai<l to be |.ieces of a kind of I'ookiiig pot wliieli 
they used io make ■■long ago. when there weic no iron kettles." Tin 
material was said t . lie earth (nn'na). b.'ar's blood, and feathers. 
ami appears to hav been baked. Tli.'y are irregidar fragments (No, 



2d Voyaso 



,-tll.- 



(vol. 1, p. UO); tlir l«SSili;i' li" 
borl:lllll Gulf); ISim.l, ••(.Vutni 

of Uudson B;iy). 

^Op. cit., pp. '.JOT -'200. 

■•Conipriro tlio ccmont, for joii 
p. 52G) cousistiuguf "seal's bio 



92 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



89697 [1589], Fig. -'I') 
to have been tall and. 
siiiootU inside, and (■( 
Tlieontsideisnitliei-] 



lici hajts nioie than one vessel, which appears 
indiical, perhaps shaped hke a beau-pot, pretty 
'd with dried oil or blixid, black from age. 
gh, and marked witli faint rounded transverse 



ridges, as if a large cord had been wound round the vessel while still 
soft. The largest shard has been broken oblitiuely across and mended 
with two stitches of sinew,' and all are very old and black. 

P.eechey (Voyage, ]>. '_'!).">) speaks of "earthen jars lor cooking" at 
Uotham inlet in isi'fj and isi'7, and .Mr. E. W. Nelson has eoUected a 



k 




^ 



few jars from the Noiton Sound region, very like what those used at 
Point Barrow nnist have been. Clioris figures a similar vessel in his 
Voyage Pittores(|ue, IM. lu (iM), h'ig. -, from Kotzebue Sound. Metal 
kettles of various sorts are now exclusively used for cooking, and are 
called by the same umuo. as the old soapstone vessels, which it will be 
observed corresponds to the name used by the eastern Eskimo. Light 
sheet iron camii-kettles are eagerly purchased and they are very glad 
to get any kind of small tin cans, such as ijreserved meat tins, which 



MUEDocH.] BONE CIvTsni'.KS. f)3 

they use for holdiiij; water, etc., and soinciimrs lii wiili hails of siriiiu' 
or ■wire, so as to use them for eookinj;- ])orri<lu<'. etc.. dxcr I lie lain]). 
They had learned the vahu' of these as eaily as Maunire's time,' as had 
the people of Tlover I'.ay in lsn».-' 

Bone crtishers. — In jjreparin.ii- food it is (.I'tfii dcsiralde to Itrcalv tlic 
large bones of the meat, both to oblain Ilic inariow ami to lacililal.- 1 lie 

trying out of the fat for makin- til. ■ p.- liraii already dfscrili.Ml. Deer 

bones are crushed into a sort of cdarse li.>ne meal I'.ii- teeilin-- the doi;s 
when traveling. For this jmriiose heavy shorthandled stone mauls are 
used. These tools may have been formerly serviceable as hammers for 
driving treenails, etc., as the first specimen ol)fained was described as 
"savik-indjuk-nunamisini'ktni: kau'ft;" (literally ••iron-nof dead ham- 
mer"), or the hammer tised by those now dead, who had no iron, l-'or 
this purpose, however, they are wholly sniierseded b.\- iron hammers, 
and are now only used for bone cinshers. 'flie e<illection cuufains a 
large series of these implements, namely, i:'> comiilete manls and \'-\ 
iinhafted heads. All are constructed on the same uciieial plan, eon 
sisting of an ol)long roughly cylindrical mass of stone, with Hat ends, 
mounted on the exi)anded end of a short haft, which is aiPi>lied to the 
middle of one side of the cylinder and is slightly curved, Uke the handle 
of an adz. Such a haft is fre(|nent]y made of the "branch" of a rein- 
deer antler, and the expand. -d en.l is made by cutting off a ii..rtion of 
the "beam" where the liranch J.>ins it. A haft s.) made is naturally 
elliptical and slightly .airve.l at right angl.-s to the l..nger diameter of 
the ellipse, au.l is appli.d b. tli.' h.'ad s,. that tin- gr.'at.'st thickness 
and therefore th.- gr.'at.'st str.'ngtli .-onn^s in th.' lin.- ..f tli.' bl.)w, as in 
a civilized ax or hammer. The h.-ad an.l haft are held t..gether by a 
lashing of thong or three-ply braid of sinew, passing through a large 
hole in the large end of the haft and round the head. This lashing is 
l)ut on wet ami dries hard and tight.^ It tbilows the same general plan 
in all the specimens, though no two are exactly alike. The material of 
the lieatls, with three exceptions (Xo. tmU [222], gray porphjTy ; No. 
89654 [900], black quartzite, ami Xo. 890.55 [1241], coarse-grained gray 
syenite), is massive pectolite ( s.'c abi >ve, p. 00). generally of a pale, greenish 
or bluish gray color and slightly transhuMMit, sohietimes dark an.l opaipie. 
No. 50035 [24:5] will serve as the type of these implements.^ 

Tlie head is of light bluish gray pectolite, and is lashed with a thrce- 
l>ly brai.l of reindeer sinew to a haft of some soft coniferous wood, prob- 
ably sprn.c, rather smoothly whittled out and soiled by handling. The 
transverse ridge .)n the un.l.'r si.l.' .)f the butt is t.) kt^op the hand from 
slipping off the giip. Th.' wli..le is dirty and shows signs of .M.nsi.ler- 
able age. 



'Sio Further Piipcra, cto., p. OIK). 
'Hooper, Tents, etc., p. 57. 

"Wc saw this .lonoon Nn. 5liC3t ISI], tli.- h.-riil iiii.l haft ot which 
tog<!ther by au Eskimo at thii station. 
•Figured in Ray's Point Barrow Report, Kthnoliiiiy. I'l. ii. Fig. 6. 



94 



THE POINT HARROW ESKIMO. 




I ll. M 111 nils \ II \ . .Il-ldc I ll)l( III M/. 1 h. 1 II ,1 M 1> 7 1 111. h( >, long 

111,1 _ . iimIi Mil. I I mil III! -Miill(^t -• 1 111. ll.-. Ion, l.\ _' t I lu>, is a 
^.l\ sill ill ll iiiiiii, 1, \<, .()()>!. [>>) ii iviiu t liitt ()iil> 4 7 in.luslong. 
'ill. ll ilr is 11--11 ilh ih.mt ■) Indies long llie l.iiigost (1)( lon^iiij^ to one 
oi til. Mil ill. 1 lit i(K I nidus 1)\ 2) Is 7 2 indues loiia, iiul tli.^ slioitcst 
(l)d.)ii„iiuti) islulilhlaigu 111 1(1 1 7 1.N liii. h. isl.iii. h. s Ihe 
l.i' <;( st t^^ () 111 ids ( Kh 7 1 1»\ ' ") ii. In - li i\. lull- > in. Ii. > L.iu 

111. 1 ishui^ of ill Is put on 111 til. Sinn ^. ii. i il \\ i\ , ii iiiu 1\ b\ se- 
( iiiiiu .111. 1 11.1 1 mil. 1 til. ll. 1.! u .1 tliiiMuli tlKMnCjtlKii taking.i ^.llla- 
_ Ilk nunibd of tiiins lonud 

tlie lif 1(1 iii.l tliumgh tlie 
hol(, and tulit.nmg these 
up ])\ wi qipiiu tlio end 
spii ilh nniii.l ill til. ])uts, 
\\li(i( 111. \ sii, 1, 1, fioin 
li( id t.) h lit (111 . idi side. 
.St ll til. 111^ nnio^\ oibioid, 
is nioK QeiKialh ns.dtlnn 
siiK w 1)1 11(1 (oiih tliHi s])uiiiKiis out ot the tliiit. . II ll i\( lisliin^sof 
siiuw) Wli.ii 1)1. nd tlioii<> isns.d tin loop is m nl. I)\ s| In in_ as 
f.)llo^^s Vsliti',(iit iboiit IJ iiidKs (loiu tlu < ii.l ..t tin ilnnu md 
the ( lid IS d.>nl)l. .1 iii i l)ii,lit iiid ]) iss, .| f hnnuli this slit 1 h. t ml is 
th.n sht md tli.. otlu i 
(nd ot till thoii, )) i'-'-. .1 
tliiou<>h It and di i\mi /* r^ 

tint, inakiii^ i sph. . At"Ti4i 

whidL h.il.Is ill til. 

tightti tol (ll IWIII, OH 

it Vsinii>]. lo.i]) is tied 

111 sill. « 1)1 11. I 

111. t ILiwiiu luiu.s I* 
will ilhisii It. th. iii.)st 
iiiipi 1 1 inr \ 11 1 iti.ms in 

th. t.)iin (it tins iiiiph ( 

ni. lit 1 i„ J5.Xo -)00U ' 

[sjjiioinl tlvn\^\in,liis \ 

a h. id ot luht gi i\ ^ 

p.. t..llt. sl|_||t]\ tl Ills 

111. .lit 111. I .Mil. nth 
ground flat .111 tli.' la.'.-s. 
ami tin- haft is ,,r iviml...'!' 
^'1 





1,,-H 



pi...'.Mn i,ii.-i 
haft. Th.. lashing i 
cairicl wh..llyi-ouii( 
ami was ])ut tn.^cth 
smaller than nsual, 



I.T, wiili a slight knob at the butt. A 
kin is .hmbi.Ml aii.l ins.-rt.Ml b.'tw.M'ii th.. li.'a.l and 
of tine s..alskiii twine, ami th.. sjiiral wrapping is 
til.. h..ad. This was th.. tirst stoii.. maul .•olI.'..t..(l, 
at th.. stati.m, as im.iiti..m..l al).)V... It is rather 
Fig. 24, X.). ."i(;(;:>7 [HIO], from Utkiavwin, has the 



MURDOCH.! SToMC MATLS. 

bead of jiniyisli pcctolitf. idii.nli ;n;il niiiisii:illy l:i 
some soft coniferous wood sonl^cd wiili ^k-isc. |i 
stead of elliptical, witli :in irici;nl;ir kiml) ;il jhr I, 
but fastened ol)li<jiu.l,v to the head. Tli,. lo,,|, ,,r do 
to the liaft is probably to o-o round tlir « rist. 
ri.t;-. L'.-.. Xo. 5(!0;','.t [Kil'j. from I -tkiavwin, is ,,f 
d til." sid.-s li.^i,! n 



and lower faces almost b 







I., il.l. toihcinu-at. 
Ii-iiiii^ of thou- of 
11 ir Ml. kwedf^cd in 
1 1 II I similar ••Icev" 



liard wood and unusually ion, TJiimIh- hi, 
facli.'d at ri-lit aii-l.'s to tli. lu ad, b\ a \.i\ M, 
tlie usual kind, and fnitliei ti-ilitened b\ i .li, 
below tlie Iirad on on.- siilc. Tliei e ii])pe,ii - h, li r 
on tlie other side. This is an lumsu d (oi m 

1-i.-. L'(;, N... S'.MmI |'.l(l(i| 1.1 , NnvMik 'lh( laad i-, an ohlon- 

Ileal lycNlindrical. water- _^ 

w pel.hle of 1 

(luartzite,7-lineiieslon<r; 
tlieliafl isofn'iiideei ant- 
ler,and1he]ashin.-ofseal 
thonj;-. 

Fi-. l-'T, No. S!l(i.j5 
[ll.'41J, from lllviavwiu. 
The bead of tl 
a buij-- pebb 

enite. and is ]MMuHar in 
ha\iiiji- a shallow or.„,v. 
rou-hly w. 
lound the niiddle lo keeji 

ping. Jt is t-7 inches 

long and 3-1 in diameter. 

The haft is of reindeer antler 4-.". inches long, and the lashing of seal tiiont 

pecidiar only in the large niiiiiher ol turns iu the spiral wrappings. 




96 THE rOINT BARROW E8KIMO. 

Fig. 28, No. .S!)(J57 [.S77J, froni Nuwuk. This i-s peculiar in liaviiij;: the 
haft iitted into a deep angular groove on one side of the head, which i.s 
of peetolite and oth('r\^i.•^e of the common pattern. The haft of reindeer 
auth'r and the la.shiiig of broad thong are evidently newer than the head 
and are clumsily made and put on, the latter nuiking several turns 

about one side of the 
"^/- haft as well as through 

it and round the head. 

None of the unniouut- 
(^d heads, which are all 
of peetolite, are grooved 
in this way to receive 
the haft, but No. 50658 
[205] lias two shallow, 
incomplete grooves 
round the middle for 
lashings, and No. 5GC55 
[218], which is nearly 
^^^^^^^^^ ^ section, has 

shallow notches on the edges for the same piupose. One specimen of 
the series comes from Sidaru, but diflers in noway from siiecimeus fi-om 
the northern villages. 

Stonemauls of this type have previously been seldom found among 
the American Eskimo. The only specimens in the .Aluscum from Anu-rica 
are two small uidiafted maul heads of peetolite, one from Hotham Inlet 
and the other from Cape Nonui, and a roughly made maul from Norton 
Sound, all collected by Mr. Nelson. The last is an oblong piece of dark- 
colored jade ruilely lashed to the end of a, short thick stick, which has a 
lateral projection round which the lashing i)asses instead of through a 





28.— Stoue maiil. 



hole ill the haft. Among the "Clmkclies" at Tithkaj, however, Nor- 
deiiskiiild found stone mauls of jnecisely the same model as oiu-s and 
also used as bone crushers, lie observed that the natives themselves 
ate the crushed bone after boiling it with blood and water.' Lieut. Ray 
saw only dogs fed with it in the interior. Nordenskiold does not men- 

1 Vega, vol. 2, p. 113 ; figures on p. 112. 



noxE MAri.s;. 



tioil the kind of stoii.. used i\,v tlicsc (.lols, l>iit IIk^Iwo in llir Naliiinal 
Museniii. .-ull.-cr.-d liy :\li-. Nelson at Cape Wankaiviii. aiv hulli (if 

granite or syenite and have a groove for tlie lasliin-. ((" pare No. 

89655 [ll.'41J, tijr. L'T.) 

In addition to the aboveih'setilx'd stone mauls. Ilieie aie in Ihe col 
lection five nearly similar mauls ot heavy hone, \vhi<'li have eviilently 




^ 



Iltkinwin It ilioiit tl 
ditioTi \\i II . Mill nth 

'■l.hihhd I „s uhi 

differ in no respeet from I 

made of whale's ril); the III 

The followinj;- li-ures \vi 




nients: Fi- l.".l. No. SIISIT |l(tl(;|: Tlie head is a seetion of a small rib, 
4-8inelies Ion-, and has a deep notch on eaeh side to receive the lashiu.-C- 
The liart is i.rol.ably of spiiu-e (it is so impregnated with yiease that it 
9 ETH 7 



98 



l\V KSK1M( 



i.sii„|M.ssil,lr t(. 


1 l.c sine all 


lout il), ai 


id is r,iii-li :iii( 


1 son: 


icwlia 


t knobby, 


with I Kiundol 


KiKih oil til 


1 llllll IlK 


1 two si,, How 1 


111,(1 


llot( 1 


i( s on the 


1111(1(1 sl.l. (it til 


( ^np It 


is itt i(h( 


(lbs ilislinu 


Ol std 


lit th 


..lU "1 tlie 


oidiii.m ]i itt( 1 


11 I U '<! 


1 \o S'|s 


I'l 1 1(147] ill. 


li( I 


(1 is 


1 stiaifiht 


Ibm si(h(l bio. 1 


.,1 \^ll il. s 


nil (i iiK 1 


usloiu ill. 


(l(( |> 


Iiotd 


1. s toi the 


liisliing, oiR on 


( i( h side, . 


IK 1 ludl 


bdlllld tll( Mil 


iddk 


lll( 


halt IS a 




rou.iih].v wliittldl IviiottN i.i((( of spiiiK and iiistt id ol i knob h is a 
thick tlaiui on tli( lowd sid, ottlii butt I Ik I ishiii^ is ot toiii t( ( n ol 
tlltccii tiiiiis ol s( illwin, 111(1 k( \((1 iipoii ( i( h Sl.l, In 1 loiuhh split 
stick thiiist 111 1,11(1(1 tli( h( 1(1 lu d No viM(.[10-ts] This IS pe. Ill 
iar in luiMU),' th. h ift not itt i. h. d it oi ih n tin iiiiddl. .it th. laid, 
but atoneend, -will, hisshouhh i. d to u ( ( i\ ( it liu h itt is ol tlu (om 
mou pattern and itt i. lit .1 as iisu il tin 1 ishin^, bt iiij, made ol \ ti> stout 



/."-^ 



Fit'. Sl.-l 



d 



sinew braid. The head is a section of a small i ib (i inches long. Fig. 32, 
No. 89845 [1049] : This is ma.le in one piece, aii.l roughly carve.l with 
broad cuts from a piece of \vlial.'"s jaw. The grooves and holes in the 
bone are the natural canals of blood ves.sels. All these mauls are bat- 
tered on the, striking face, showing that they liave been used. 

At the first glance it seems as if we ha.l here a series illustrating the 
development of the stone haiiimcr. Fig. ol would be the fii'st form, while 



TKAVf 



W 



tlic next step would !.,■ to iiiciisisr Ih." wci-ht ofllic liniil liy hi<liiu- a 
lar^c l)i<Tc ofhoiir to 111., niil ofthc I, all. instead of rarv in- llir w lioi,. 

laboriously out of a lai-vr pi,-,-., of 1 'I'li,- sul.slil ulion ofllir still 

heavicrston.'ibrthclionr woidd obviously su.u-rst ilsrlfncxt. 'I'lic weak 
I)()iut ill this ai-.uuin.Mil. however, is that I he advanta-e of lli.' Iiaiisition 
from thclirsttotheiiext form is uot sulli.ienl 1\ <ili\ ious. it se.austonie 
more natural to supjiose that the hafled stone hammer has Im^cii de 
Vdoped here, as is believe.l 1,, have been the ,-ase elseNvlN're. by simplv 
addin- a handle to the pebbh- whirl, had already been us.mI as a hammer 
without om-. Thes.-l.oueimplemeiitsan.lhen to he <-,,usidered as inakt- 
sliifts or siil)stitufc.s tbr the stone hammer, when stones suitable Ibr 
makiu.i;- the latter eould not be proi iired. Now. surh stones are raic at. 

I'oiut I'.arrow. an.l nuist be brou-ht fr a distanee or pun-hased from 

other natives; henee tin- oeeasional use of sueh makeshifts as thes.'. 
This view will aeeount Ibr the rarity of these bone hannnias. as well as 
the rudeness of tiieireiaistrnetiolL. No.S'.IS l,", | 10 Pll wouhl t has be merely 
the result of in.lividual f iney and not a link in tlu' <-haiu of (h'velopment. 



:vi.\i; AND i:ai 



lu-atlv carved from <lriltwood and nearly circular orol.lon.;;- in shape.. 




Fl<i. 33.-Mrat .list. 

The colleetioiieoiitaiiis two specimens of tl 
Ions ones. All but one of these have be 
grea.sy. No. T.',r>Hi [o'.'-'J (Fig. .'53) has been selected as the type ot the 



•ircuhir form and three ob- 
loui;- in use and are very 



A..fC. 



100 



THE POINT liAKROW ESKIMO 



(•ilrul;ir.lislifS(i'lil)i 

ot'iiiiK- w 1. Tlir l.riiu is n.un 

side, whi'iv si piece lias i)n(ba))l\- 
cracked aiul chipiied. Tlie \-css. 
side where meat lias beeu cut up 



This is ^-erysiiioiithly carved fniiii a siii^jc jiicco 
is louiidcd, with ahxrg-e roiiiidcil j;;ip in diic 
■oken out. The brim is slijihtly 
ry .u'lcasy and shows marks iu- 
Xii. siisoT I Vi'J'.j] is a very simi- 
lar dish, and made 
of the same mati^ 



Innad. and l-'-l deep. It has been split in two. ami mended with whale- 
bone stitclies in the manner j.revionsly desciibed. 

No. T.T.T.-. [22:5] (Fig. 34) is a typical oblon- .lish. It is neatly hol- 
lowed out, having abroad niar.^iii painted with iv(l ocher. It measures 

side, and is new and clean. This isacomniou form of dish. Fig.o^, Ko. 




DSds |i;!, 

lit of a sti 



lid tra 
eofl.hl 



led 



unusual 
inches!,, 
seller ••] 



irm. It is rmh 
;•, showing insidi' 



d olf 



itU 



1^^^^ 



Xo 



l?E?S13!5r'S3ss5! 



margin of L' inches at one <Mid, and the 
at the sides and ends. The holes neai 
liandlcs ,,t thong. The material is spn 
greasy. Fig. ;!(i. No. 8'JS(;(> 
[1370], was said by the native 
who brought it over for sale to 
be especially intended for lish- 
It is much the shape of No. 

73.575 [223], but broader, ^ j. i,-i,,i„i, 

slightly deeper, and more 

curved. The brim is uarrow and rounded and the bottom smoothly 
rounded off. It measures 23-3 inches in length, and is made of pine. 
It has beeu deeply split in two places and stitched together with whale- 



m;iNKi\(i vr.ss 



101 



bono ill tlic usual way. Trays ami dislics of lliis sdil arr 




Whalrhonr Cup ', T nnixiiin.—ihu- n{ tlic .■oniin.ai.'sl Inniis ,,r drink in- 
Vfssrls is a littl.^ tuli ol' wlial.^hoiic of iiivcisriy llic same sinipc as the 
lai-v whal.'l.onr disli .Irsciihrd al.,,vc (p. ss,. or tin'sc tlicic aru live 
spc.-iiiicMs in rhc c-ollccticn.all Irnni Ut- 

kiavw in. X... .s'.is.-,;! \v.'^v^\ ( I'^ju-. ;;t) win ^^ ^i ^ _ ___^_ 

scrvi- as the type. It is Mi inclics lono- I^^^^^^I^./' . ""^3^ 
and inadf l.y hiniliii,-;- a striji ot hla<-k 
wlialclinnr r.mnd a sprinr l.onom. and 

s.'win- to-.-tlM-r the rnds. wlii,-li -ivcr ^■•" '^ jft 

la|. ea(di otlirr about 1 .1 mcln's. with ^ "" *' ' 

coarse strips of wlialil)oiic. 

There are two vntifal scams tliivc- 
fourths iiK-h apart. The hortoiii is li.dd 
in by fittiii.u its sli,i;htly cliaiiitVrcd cdK'' 

into a shallow croze cut in the whalebone. .Ml these eu]is are made 
almost exactly alike, and n.-arl\- of tlie same si/,e. varyiu.i;- only a iVae 

only variation is in the distance the ends o\eila|i and the number of 
stitches in the seams. Such cups are to be Ibund in ncail)' every house, 
and one is .u-cnerally kept conveniently nearfhe water bu<-ket. Thou.uh 
the pattern is an ancient on.', they are still manufactured. No. ".(r.tio 

[(i."".4] was found anion- tiu' 
^^^5i^ debris of one of the luined 

t/'V^'?^ houses at Utkiavwin, and 

differs from the modern 
J cups only in havin- the 

\ ^>i^ -^ ends sewed to-.Ther with 

\ *^-V- _^ „„,. seam instead of two, 

} tnal use, was made after 

^v our arrival, as the bottom 

is made of a ])iece of one of 

II., .^ -limn, I,,,. I our I'i.uar lioxes. 

Dippeisot lioiu aie III \ei\ -eiiei al use for driidciii- water. These 

aie all ot essentialh the same sha|.e. and are made of th.' li-lit yellow 

tiansjucent lioin ot the mountain sheep. There are three siiecimens in 

oui coIUm tion, of \\ hi. h N.>. "Wm.U [-'.sj (Fig. 3S) lias been seleete.l as the 

type. This i.s made of a single piece of pale yellow translucent horn, 



I Sc- for example Cmnt? Mil 1 p 144 (7rcLuUn.i, Parry, 2d. Voy.. p. 3U3, IgluUk: and Hooper 

■uls itc p 170 Plo^tl B.1J 

'Bessi Is, Naturalist Sept IsM p h61 



-rr 
tii< 


iiii 
11 til 
Mip 


Ml 
. tip 


n+'tr 

\ 

III 
1 til 


'll.-li 

.1 1, 


UK 


I SI/ 


. hut 


Nc 


.. S',1 


(lit 


into .1 s( 


ii( s 


(.f> 


No 


V»^ 


5J[1 


".77 


lis: 


<iii( 


1 till 


-I'l 


Xll 


tiK 


V) 


\n 


VI7 ,' 


'I' 


'IK 




102 Tm: POINT bakr<iw eskimo. 

t 111, ,1, led int., shapr. i-iit .inly oil tlic fd-cs and 
_ ol iiilhi isdiiv.'ii tliroii-h the liaiidlc, I inch 

ts l.diiiKl sL'iviiii;- as a I k hy which to lian- 

il abiidat ThcotlKT two arc similar in sliapc 
'»s '.1 [ IJ') 5] h IS no pc^;, and has one side of the handle 
slight not! hi s to kce)) the hand from slijiiiing, while 
ith( I sti luliti I and has a smaller, shallower bowl, 
h iiidh ioiuIk lied with transverse grooves. Fii;;. 
Is 1 hoiii di|ip(i,liut one that is very old and of a 
pattern no longer in use. The bowl, 
which is much broken and gapped, 
I , oval and dee]., with a thick handle 
it (.ne end, running out in the line 
of the axis of the bowl. This handle, 
wliich is tlie tliicli part of the horn, 
near the ti]i, is tlat above, nuinded 
below, and has its tiji slightly rounded, aiq.areiitly by a stone tool. 
.lust where the Ih.wI and handle meet there is a deep transverse saw- 
cut, made to facilitate l.<nding the haiiiUe into its ].lace. The material 
is horn, ai.paiently of tlie mountain slice]., turned brown by age and 
exposure. The specimen had been long lying neglected ri.imd the vil 
lage of Utkiavwin. 

Horn dippers of the same general i.attern as these are common 
throughout Alaska. The Museum collection contains a large series ol 
such utensils, coUected by Mr. Nelson and others. The cuj.s and dij)- 
pers of musk-ox In.rn tbund by Parry at Tglnlik are somewhat different 
in shape.' Those made of the enlarged base of horn'^ have a short 
liandh^ and a nearly sipiare bowl, w liile the holN.w top of the horn is 
used for acupwitln.ut alteration bc>(ind sonietimes bending up the 
end, which serves as a handle.' ('uiiousl\ enough, cups of this last 
pattern appear not to be tbund anywhere else except at Plover Bay, 
eastern Siberia, wlien^ very similar vessels (as shown by the INIuseum 
collections) are made from the horn of the Siberian mountaiii sheep. 
All unusual form of dipi.er is beautifully made of fossil ivory. Such 
cu])s are rare and highly prized. \N'e saw <.nly three, one from each 
village, Nuwuk, Utkiavwin, and Sidain, and all were obtained lor the 
collection. They show signs of age and long use. They differ some- 
what in shape and size, but each is carved from a single piece of ivory 
and has a large bowl and a straight handle. No. 565.35 [371] (Fig. 40), 
which will serve as the type of the ivory dij. per (i'miisyu, kilig\rii'garo), 
is neatly carved from a single ].iecc of tine giaineil fossil i\<.ry, yel- 
h.wed by age. The handle, polished by long use. terminates in a blunt, 
recurved, tapering ho(.k, which serves the pur])ose of the peg in the 

' Second Voyage, p. 503. 

= Sec Fig. 26, plato opposite [i. 550. 

3 See Figs. 8 and 9, opposite p. 548. 



horn dipper. The ronivlcd .t;ap in llir lnim ojjpcsii 
accidental brciik. Aiiotlicr, No. s'.is.'.o ll'j:)l»|. iVmn 
trougli-like Clip, witli romidcd nids and ;i shoit Hal 
made ofa shoit trausvcrsr scclnm ula rallna- small 
natural roundness dt the liisk, hnt cnl ..If Hat on lop; 
wooden pe.y, like those in the horn dipp.Ts, is ins, 
tlie handle. This .Mip is ,.si„.,-ially inrnvsiin- IVoni 
the one obtained l.y lleeehey (Voya-o, I'l. i, I'M- 



al l';schs<diollx 







Bay, fi'om which it diti'ers only in licini;- aliout L' inches shovtei' and 
deeper in proportion. Thomas Simi)son spi'aks of ohtainint;- an i\oiy 
cup from some l'<iint Harrow natives at Uease Inlet exaetly like the one 
fifiniredby l!e.M-liey. lint with thi> handle broken olf.' Fi-. II, Xo. S'.is;;;; 
f9.'3;?l, fi-om Nnwnk, has a lar.i;v bowl, nearly eireiilar, with a broad, 
straiji'ht handle and a broad hook. The part of Ihe bowl lo which the 
handle is atta<dieil, a semieiivular piece ;; imdu-s Ion- and Pj* wide, has 
beeu si)lit out wilh the -rain of tln^ tusk, and nnMuled with three 
stitches, in this ease of sinew, in the usual manner. There was an olil 
gap in the brim opposite tt. the han<ll.>. and the ed-es of it have been 




freshly and 
and handh 
with a dot 



1\ whittled down. The ornami'ntation of the outside 
stin- o\- narrow in.ased lines and small cin-les, each 
, e.mler, is well shown in the li-nre. These en-rav- 

jn-s were oii-inallv v red with red oeher. bnt are now tilled with 

dirt and are neail v clfac.Ml by wear on the handle. This dipper 
of such line qnality of ivory as the other two. It is not unlikel 
all these, vessels were mad<' 1),\ the nat ives around Kot/.ebue > 
whore ivory is plenty, and where r.eeehe.W as i|noted alio\e, tout 
so like one of ours. We were inloiane.l by the owner that No. 
[371] was obtained from the Nnmitanmiun. 

I Nanativo, p. 148. 



s not 
that 



104 



THE POINT HARROW 



Spoonx anil huJUs.—VAxAi laniHy li:is 
and iiariow sliallow hulk's of Ikhii, I...1 
stirring and ladling sonp. etc Tlicre 
lection", No. S!t7;!<l j i;552] ( Fig. 4l!). This 
of Utkiavwin, whom I asked to make 



■ral sjioons of various sizes, 
■tc. The laigc spoou is for 
nly oiif s]icc-iiiiiMi in the eol- 
I 11. 'w one, made by a native 
isclf a iH'w sjiooii and hring 
ine his old one. He. liow 
ever, misunderstood nieand 
brought over the new one, 
whicli Lieut. Kay jiur- 

I had especially asked for 
the old one. These s]ioons 
seem to be in such constant 
use that the nativ.'s did not 
offer thcni for sale. This 
specimen is smoothly c,ii\ed fioni a single jiiece of pine, and jiaintcd all 
over, except the inside of tin bowl, w ith 1. d odier. .\ cross of red ochcr 
i,s marked in the middh ot tlu Ixro 1, and there is a shallow groove, colored 
with blacklead,ah.ng tin middU ol tin hamlleon toj). The length is 13-2 

inches. A small si n ot Imht < olou d horn, No. .S'lilf, [i;i7!>], has a bowl 

ofthe common sj n shai.ewith a shoit, Hat handle. S] nsofthissort 

were not seen in use, and as this is new and evidently made for sale it 




Fig 42.— Woollen spoon 




mi\ be meant foi 1 ( 
01 bom 111 i\ toinu 1 
get tin pots but iti 
hlliiu tlu limj. 1 

\o s'Ul , |1(I7(I| 
hoi 11, d ak biov 



lui ^] IIS Tlu n mow lidlesof horn 

is( d till ( itin, bi toK It w IS s(i ( is\ to 
i(tl\ iisdl toi dii.i.iiuoil esptnilh toi 
out mis iiiu ot luiiii iiul loui ot bone 
lb ol I siii_,li pu 1 1 ot mountiin sluep 
use, sotlLiied iiid molded into shape 




It is impieginti d -nitli oil showiiu th it it li is Ix ( 11 long m use This 
utensil (losih 11 SI nihil s 1 ^leitnumbd ot spi i muns m tlu "\Ius(nin 
from the more southern parts of Alaska. No. 81)411 [1204] (Fig. 44) is 



.ADLE.S LAMl 



lor 



a tj'l)ical bone ladlo. Tlic inatciial is latlicr coaisc i;iaiiu'(l, coniiiac 

boiic from a whale's lili or iawlxine. No. S'.lll 1 |l(li;',| closely icsciiil)le: 

this but is a tritie lar-cr. Tlie otiier two spn-inuMis are iiitcicsi mj;- a; 

sliowiiii,'aii atteniiit at (.rnaiiieiitatioii. No. S!M r_' |ll(r_'l (I'i-. I.",. iVoii 

Niiwfik) i^ <'ai-ve<l smootlily into a i ii(h\ llalleiieil limine of a wlialeil'-a 

hieiKl, liiysticetus). Tlie Makes 

form the handle and tl,e belly 

is hollow.Ml out into the bowl 

of tlie ladle. No. Sllli;! I'.CUJ 

(Fi.i;-. 1(1. from I'tkiaxwin ) has ,"i^*' 

the handle earvil into a nide .: 5^- 

bear's head, which has the eyes, >/ 

nostrils, and .mtline of tli.' j^,, ,. ,.„„„,„„„„,,„„„„, ,„|,,|,. 

month incised and filled in with 

dark oil dre.o-s. All tli<-se ladles have thecurved side of the howl on IIm' 
left, siK.wiii- that they were in. 'ant t,i U- nscd witii the li-lit iiaial. Tlie 
nam.', kilin'te. obtained for these ladles is -iveii in the vocabulary <-ol 
le.-tedby Dr.Oldniixon as •■ scrajier." wlii.'h seems to be the etyinoh'.-ical 
meaiiin- of the word. These iniiilements may be used for scrapin-- 
blubber from skins, or the name mav eorresi.ond in m.'aniiit;- to the 




Fl... W.-Ji,.i,i-l..ilk. 

sullicienllv appaivnt for the name to be aiiplied to them. Indeed, they 
may have been made in imilaliou of mussel shells, which the Eskimo, 
ill all i.rol.alnlity. like so many other sava.ues. used for lailles as well as 
s<a';i|)ers. 



Lumps (A-er/Ze).— .Mention lias alivady been iii;ide of the stone lamps 
oidil bnincrs used Ibr li-htin.i;- and warmini;- the hou.ses, which, in Dr. 
Simpsmrs lime, were obtained by tradin.t;- from the •'Kfinmu'dbn," who 
ill turn procured them from other Eskimo far to the east. These are 
Hat, shallow dishes, usually like a -ibbous mo.m in outline, ;iml are of 
two sizes: the lar-er lions.' lamp, IS in.-lies to ;! te.'t in len.^tli, and tlie^ 
small tra\.'liii- lamp. <i .ir S inch.'s lon.ii. Th.' kitt.'r is us.'d in tli.' teiii- 
porary snow lints wli.Mi a halt is ma.h' at ni-ht. In ea.-li li..iis.' are 

a-ainst th.' wall, ami rais.'.l by bl.i.'ks a tew im-h. 

one lar-e house, that ..f ..hi Vaksi'na. the s,.-.'alled -chief." at Xuwuk, 



th.'II.HM-. In 



106 



^t. by wood. Ml 1 



THE POINT liAHKOW ESKIMO. 

[lips, tlir thinl st;iii<iiii.i;- in tlio li-ht liaiid front for- 
riic (lisli is lilli'd Willi oil. wliicli is IiiiiikmI liy means 
ihcis ainiii.ncd alon- the outer cduc Lar.t;e laini)S 
into tlneecoiii|iartmeiits, of which the iiiiddk' is the 
ns called sii'potin (corresiiondiiii;- to the 
lam across a stream for catching fish, (2) a 
wicks can also be arranged. Tlie 
miinu' and arranging the 




JFlG. 47.— StoDC lioiisi- hinip- 



, tlie size of which is regulated by ki 
d is usually kept tilled by the drip fr 
harp stick (aju'ksuxbwin) projecting 



ises tlh 
1 otlhc 



stick (kul. 



,r less of 
blubber 
about a 

ighter"), 



uettc. without the trouble of ,-cltin- down, by di|, pin- the end 
I of the lain]) and lightin- this at the tiame. The sticks used 
uing the wick also serve as pipe-lighters and for carrjing fire 
le room in the same way.'' No food, except an occasional 



^ht pipes, rtc. In lilt' saini- \\'ay other piiiH 
amo p.age : " I liavo seen such pins, also oblong 
ipeil in train-oil, have been uaed as torches. 



MURDOCH.] 



LAMPS. 



limclieou of porriflge or soiiictliiHj;- of llir soit, i? 
lamps. Two such lamps Imrniii';- at the (nilinai- 
to enable one to read ami write witli case w 
quette, and easily keep rlii' tciiiiicrarnrc bctwrc 
coldest weather. In tlir rdllcctiou aic tlncr Ikh 
and one merely a frai;'iiiciit, ami tlncr tiavcliiiii 
Pig. 47 (No. S'.IST'.I) [STl'I is a typical iioiisr 
small specimen. It is carved out of snft uiav so 
long. The back is neatly verrical, while llie li- 
ward. The back wall is cut down veiticall\ 
rounded brim and the Cniut curves uradually ii 
the bottom of the cavity, which is lA inches d: 
posterior third ot the cavity is occupied by a. II 
sloping edge about 0-7 inch high. About a tliii 



lOT 

ookedoveilhes. 
;ive light en,,ugi 
titig oil the hail 
,llld (;0 ' I', ill the 



,i|hi(ilflilifi'lipU|lit 



leep in th 


e mill 


Idh'. The 


lat,str;iiu 


■lit si! 


lelf with a 


Id of one. 





f the lamp 



I • 




has been broken olV obliquely and iiiemled, as usual, with stitches 
There are two of these neatly countersunk in channels. The spei-iiiiei 
has been long in use and is tin. roughly incnistcd with oil ami s,,ot. Ne 

Tills isacoarse.gritty stone, rather s,, ft. but much m.ire ditli.-iilt to worl 
than the soaiistone. it is rudely worked into s.miefhing the s;ime slia]. 
asthe ty|.e. but has the cavity but slightly liollowed out, without a sheli 
and only a little steeper behind than in front. The idea at once sag 
gests itself that this lamp, wliicii is very old and sooty, was made a 
Point ['.arrow and was :in at tempt to imitate the imported lamiis will 
stone obtained IVoi 
There is. of course. 



beds reported by Lieut, Kay m Kill 



Kailiakand I'.ristol i'.ay in the National Miiseiim are madeof .some 
gray stone, 

Kig. 4!), Xo. .">(;(;7;! |i;!;'.|. is a t raveling lami id is a miniature < 

large lamp, No. S!I.S7!ll.S7L'|,S-7 inches long. 4-1! wide, and liiudi high 
of soapstone and without a sludf. The front also is .straighter, am 
whole more numhlv made. No. S'.t.S.s- ] r_>!»S| is another traveling I 



108 



E POINT I5AUR0W ESKIMO. 



used littlr if :it nil siiirc it was m:\iU 
wliilr(l,roulsHlcisr,,;,t,'d with soot 




^^'h. 



tlic iiisid.' is almost n«'w 
sc. Tt is (K! iiu-lu's loll-. 
No. S'.issi [lL;(lO]isainiiii- 
atinc of No. 898S0, 8-1 
'iM inches Imij;-, and is made 
oftbesaiiH' j;Titty stone. 

Suitable inateiial is not 

at hand for the inoper 

F,.Mii TK,v,.in,.i..„,. eoiiii.aris .f the lamps 

used by the dilfeicnt braliehes of the Eskimo race. All travelers who 

have written alM.ilt tliC Eskimo sj.eak of the use ,,f sueh lamps, whieli 

a-re.. in Ix'iiiK sliallow, oblong 'I'^lx'^ "^ ^f"»^'- "'■ ''"■'^'^'■'^' li.i;"i-es 

a. Iaiii]> of soai)stoiie from Tta, Smith 

Sound, closely resemblin.u- Xo. SltSSO, 

;,n<l a, little himi, in the .Aliiseitm fn.m 

(Ireeliland is of essentially the same 

shape, but de.'per. The same form ap- 
pears at Hudson Strait in the lamps 

collected by Mv. L. M. Tunicr, while 

those used at liibiUk are uearly semi- 

circidar.- South of Kotzebue Sound 

lamps of the shai)e so common in the 

east are used, but these, Mr. Turner in- 
forms me, are never made of s.mpstone, 

hut alwavs of san.lstoue. shal.-, et.'. 

The peoph. of Ka.liak and the Ahaits 

anciently used lamiis of hard stone, 

ucnerally oval in shape, and sometimes 

made by sliuhtlv hollowin-- out one 

side of a lai-.' roun.l p.-bblc.^^ Such 

a, nm-h lamp was bn.u-ht by iaeut. |'|i I:' J 

Stoney, U. S. Naxy. trom Kotzebue j^i;! j 

Sound. No such hi-hly hnished and i^r., 

elaborate lamps as th<' lar-c house jjj; ;;,,;- 

except by X.irdcnskibld. who li^ures 'K' 
one from Siberia.' This lamp is inter- 1' ' T 
..stiu-astlieonlyouedescribe.l with :i 

led-e .•omparabie to the shelf of X,,. ^^ 

89879. Lamps from thcregioii bet we< '11 

Toint Barrow and Bootliia Felix are especially neeiled to eliK'idate tin 

distribution and development of this utensil. The rudely hollowed peb 




1 Naturalist. Sopterabur, 1884, p. 867, Fig. 2. 
'Parry. Second Voyage, PI. opposite p. 54S. Fig. 2. 
'See ball, Alaska, p. 387; anil Petroff, Ili>p.>rt, etc. 
i,.«lier from Attn anil Ka.liak. 
' Vega, Tol. 2, p. 23, Kg. b on p. 22, and diagrams. ]) 



141. S.oalso II. r 



MCEDOCH.] CLOTHING. ]{)<) 

bleof the aiifiont Alont and the clahoratc laiii]) .if (lie INiim I'.aiiciw 
Eskimo art! evidi'iitly tlit^ two cxticincs ol' ihi' sciics <i|' fninis Ih'iI i|ii. 
iutermediate ]>attciiis arc slill to he dcsciihcd. 

Fig.50,N()..-.(i4;iL'|l(IS], isuiM'.-uliaiaiticl ' wliiclumly one spcn:,,,.,, 

was collected. AVc wtac iiixcn to miilcistand at llic time oliiiiirlia>iii" 
it that it was a sort ot so<'ket or csciitclK-oii to 1... rusimcd to the wall 
above a lauqi to hold the hliililicr stick dcsciihcil al.,i\c. No sndi 
escutchectus, however, were seen in use in llic lioiiscs visited. 'I'hc 
article is evidently old. It is a Hat jiicce of tliiel; |ilaid; of some soft 
wood, ll-4inciics Ion--. 4-1.' broad, and aliont 1.', thick, very indcK cai\c.l 
into a human head and Ixidy without arms, witli a larue roiind iioh" 
about IJ inches m diameter throii^li the ULiddlc of the breast. Tlie eyes 
and mouth are incised, and the nose was in relief, but was Ion- a^o split 
ofl'. There is a deep furrow all around the head, perhaps for fasleiduf;- 
on a hood. 

CLOTHING. 



The clnthins' of these people is as a rule made entirely of skins, thou^li 
of late years drillin.u' and calico are used for some jiarts of the dress 
which will be aflerwaids dcsciilicd. Pctrotf makes the rather sur- 
prisin.ustatenuMit that '-a lar.^c amount of ready-made clothin.i^limls its 
way into the hands of these |,eo|,lc, who wear it in summer, lint the ex- 
cessivecold of winter compels them to resume the fur .i;armeiils lormerly 
in general use auKUi.i; them." h'ur .i;armeiits are in as L;ciHMal use at 
Point r.arrow as ( hey eyer were, and the castotf clothin,u obtained from 

the shi|)s is mostly packed away in soi ■orner of the i.'ilii. \\'e landed 

at Cape Smyth not Ion,- after the wreck ot the Ihinlrl irc/M/cc, whose 

crew had aband ■(! and -iyen away a -real deal of thcii' clothin.n-. 

Duriuii' that autumn a -ood many men and bo\ s wore white men's coats 
(H' shirts in place of the ,.uter frock, especially when workiii- or loun-- 
in- about the station, but by the next sprin- these were all j.aeked 
away and were not resumed a-ain exeei>t in rare instances in tlu' sum 
nier. 

The chief material is the skin ol' the reindeer, wlii.di is used in yarioiis 
stages of i.cla-e. l''iue, short-haired summer skins, especially tiiose of 
does and fawns, aic used l\>v making dress garments and underclothes. 
The heaviei' skins aic Mse<l for cyeryday working clothes, while the 
heaviest winter skins fuinish extra warm jackets for .'(dd weather, 
warm winter stockings and milteiis. The white or spotted skins of the 
tame Siberian iciudecr, obtained from the "XunataiTmiun," are <'spe- 
cially valued tbr full di ess ja.kcts. We heard no menti<m of the use of 
the skin of the unborn reindeer fawn, but there is a kind of dark deer- 
skin u.sed oidy for edgings, which api)ears to be that of an cxi-cednigly 
young deer. This skin is extremely thin, ami the hair so short that it 
is aluujst invisible. Siberian deerskins can always be recognized by 



no 

llMVi 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



■;■ tlic ticsh siilf coloicil veil,' wliik* Aiiifricaii-iln-ssed skins are 
woikcd .Mift and iiihbcd with clialk i.r t^ypMuii, .uiviiig a buaiitifiil 
white Miifacf likf iiipu-clayed k-atlier. 

Tlic skins of the wliite iiiouiitaiu sheep, white and blue fox, wolf, dog, 
ci iiiinc. and lynx are sometimes used for clothing, and under Jackets 
made of eider diiek skins arc rarely nsed. Sealskin dressed with the 
hair on is used only for hrce(dies and lioots, and for those rarely. IJlack 



dr. 



lat 



;, with the epidermis le 
„rt-_is iise.l for \\at( 
white sealskin, taiiiie 



d the hair shaved 
1 ts, while the 




(h'rmis removed, is used for the soles of winter 
1 )oot s. Waterproof boot soles are made of oil- 
dressed skins of the white whale, bearded seal, 
walrus, or polar bear. The last material is not 
usually mentioned as serving for sole leather 
among the Eskimo. Nordeuski.'ihl,- however, 
fonnil it in use among the (Jhiikches for this 
pui))osc. It is considered an excellent ma 
terial tor .soles at Point Barrow, and is some- 
times used to make boat covers, which are 
^ beautifidly white. Heavy mittens for the win- 
ter are made of the fur of the polar bear or of 
dogskin. Waterproof (mter frocks aie of seal 
entrails, sjdit and dried and sewed togetlier. 
For trimmings are used deerskiu of ditfercnt 
colors, mouiitain-slieep skin, and black and 
white sealsl^in. wolf, wolverine, and marten 
fur, and wliole ermin.' skins, as well as red 
worsted, and oeeasioiiall\ lieads. 

STYLE OF DKESS. 

Dr. Simi)S(m^ gave an excellent general de- 
scription of the dress of these people, which is 
Fin -ii -iiiiu 111 „nim,iry .Urr (^j^. saiiic at the j)resent day. While the same 
"'"'"'"""■" in general pattern as that worn by all other 

Eskimo, it differs in many details from that woin by tlie eastern Eskimo,'' 
and most closely resend)les the style in vogue at and near Norton Sound.-' 
The man's dress (Eig. r.l. from a idiotograph of Apaidyao) ••onsists of the 
usual loo.se hooded fro<-k. witliour oi.ening except at the neck and wrists. 
This reaches just over the hips, rarely about to mid-thigh, Avhere it is cut 

I Compare Nordenskiold, Vega, vol 2. p. 213. 
•Vega, vol. 2. p. 9fl. 
30p. fit . pp 241-24.-, 

«See f.ii .- .i,i|.l I -I. ]■ 'I'l I , ,„i .1 1 h 'I 1. ..' (i| .,1 lii. ■' iinl -'- -niitli 
Sound) , K iih ].■ ' • I I ' ' ' • ' ' i . II " 

pp. 23, 24, ,ih1 II .> - 1 I '1 I I I I I'l G 

(Iglulik).!;..,..-, (.nli.,11.,1 l.| I <■ Kun.lu.i 1." , u . 14, .. .i il umb. il.iud u uU i , .ilv, I lu- 

bisher, in Hakluyfa "Voyages, lOhU, ttc, p. 02». 

>DaU, Alaska, pp. 2] and 141. 




!TYL10 OF Din 



11 



Ihc l( 



offsiiiuirc. and is usually oonliiicil hy a -iiillc al. Ilic waist. 

jiarnicnt is worn a siiiiilar one. usiiaily i.r li-lil.-r skin and son 

out a Ii.mmI. Til., rhi-hs arc clad in oin^ oi- I wo pairs ,,r I i-lii 

brccclics. .-onlincd round tin- lii|)s hy a -irdlc and nsnalk 

drawstrin.u l.cl,,w tlic knee 

tliclc-s and tccr arc worn, lir 

liair iirsid.- tlnai slij-pcrs ot 

sjircad a kiycr ..f wlialclM,nc siiavin-s. anc 

Loots. Ih'ld in place In- a sirin- r.aind lli. 

the ki.cc ami cn.lin- Willi a roa-li cd-c. wl 

Dress 1 Is often end \Nilli an ornainenia 

below the knee. Tiic iMM,ls arc ,,f rciia 
soles for winter and dry weather, liiil ii 
black seakskin with soles of whit<- wlial 
.shoes ofth.^ same material. rea<-hin-.inst 
strin-at the top and ankle strin-s. are s, 

1 ts. Wln-n travelin- on snowshoes o 

aie replaced by stockin-s of th.- same sha 

lirstcad of breeches and hoots a man occasi,mally wears a pair of 
l.antalooirs or ti-ht-littiii;;- trousers tcrminatin.i;- in shoes such as are 
worn by the women. Over the usual divss is worn in very cold weather 
a (a'nadar mantle of deciskin. fastened l)y a thon- at the neck— sin-h 
mantles aiv nowadays ,,ccasionally made of blankets— and in rainy 

weather both sexes wear th.' I led rain frock of seal -nt. Of late 

years both sexes have adopted the habit of w.'arinji- over their clothes 

a loose I ile>s Irock of cotton clotli. usually bri.^ht-colored calico, 

esiiccially in blnstcrin.u' weather, when it is useful in ke.'piii.i;- the driff- 



lilliim ki 



lie I ts. Oi 

d sealskin, in the bottom of which i.- 



ndadiaustrin-Just 
with white sealskin 
watcipi-oof hoots of 

!•., aiv worn. 0\-er- 

.voiii ov.a- the winter 
indcroncs. hnt made 



itbais. The; 



if del 



Koll a. and won 

teusof polai- hear skil 

ski ider the hcarsk 

be handle.l without t 
• •old inm. 'rhe wome 



drawn from the sI.m'vc and inside of the Ja.- 
The .Ircss of the women consists of twi 
which diller from those of the men in iiein-- <-oii F.....^^.-Wn„MnM':,<„Hi. 
finned from the waist in two rather fall rounded 
skirts a( tlie front and hack, rea.diin- t.. or helow the knee. .V woman's 
frock is always (list in-uislu'd hy a sort of rounded hul-e or pockcf at 
the nape of the neck (s,.e I'i.u. ol'. from a sketch by the writer), wiiicli is 
int(Mlde<l to receive the head of the infant when .-arried in Ihc Jack.'t. 
The little peak at the top of the h 1 is also charai-tcristic of the 




112 THE POINT JiAKUOW ESKIMO. 

woman's frock. On her k'Ss a- woman wt-ars a pair of ti,!;lit-fltting 
(loerskin pantaloons with the hair next the skin, and ontsidc of tlicsc a 
siinihir i.air m-.uh- of the skins of dc<-r Ic-s, with the hair ont, and haviii- 
soles of sealskin, l.nt no anklestrin-s. Tlie outer ]iant;doons are usually 
laid aside in sprin-, and wat.T|.ronf boots like the n,.M,'s, l.nt fast.Mied 

In the summer pantaloons wh.illy of waterproof sealskin aiv olten put 
on. The women's j.antal.M.us, like tin' men's breeches, ar.^ fastened witli 
a girdle just above the hips. It appears that they do not slay up very 
well, as the wonuMi are eontiuually •• hitehin.u " them uji and li.iAhtening 
their girdles. 

Until they rea.h manh 1 the boys wear jiantaloons like the women, 

but their jackets are .ait just like those of the n.en. The dre.ss of the 
girls is a eonii.lete miniatui-e otthat .if the women, e\ en to the iioeket 
In' the ehild's head. Those who aiv well to-d,. generally own several 
complete suits of elothes, and present a neat appearance when not en- 
gaged in dirty work. The poorer ones wear one suit on all occasions 
till it becomes shabby. New clothes are seldom put on till winter. 

The <mter frock is not often worn in the iglii, being usually taken off 
before entering the room, and the under one is generally dispensed with. 
Men habitually leav<> off th.Mr bo..ts in (he house, and rar(dy their 
stockings and i.reeclu's, retaining onl.\ a pair of thin deerskin drawers. 
This custom of strijiping in the house has been noticed among all Es- 
kimos whose habits have been des<-ril.e<l. from Crcenland to Siberia. 
The natives are slow to adopt any moditications in the styh- of dress, 
the excellence and convenience of which has been so nv(|nently coni- 
nu'uted upon that it is unnecessary to refer to it. One or tw<i youths 
learned from association with us the c.mvenience of pockets, and acc(,rd- 
ingly had -patch pock.'ts" of .'hith sewed on the outsid,. ..tthc skirt of 






l,i|, 1 ts. eviilently copies from our india-rubber wading b.iots. I uow 

inoce.Ml to the des.-ril.tion of the clothing in detail. 

//r,/-/.-/o////;H/.— The only head covering usually worn is tlu' hood of 
the frock, whi.-h reaches to about th.' middle of the head, the front 
b.'ing covered by the hair. Women who are carrying .•hildren in the 
ja<-ket sometimes wrap the head in a cloth. (I have an indistinct rec- 
ollection of once seeing a wonuin with a deerskin hood, but was too 
busy atthetinu' to nud<e a not.' or sket<-h of it.) One nnin at Utki- 
avwTn (Niigawau'ra. now deceased), win. was quit.' bahl on the forehead, 
used to protect tin' fnmt of his head with a sort of f dse front of deer- 
skin, tied rouml like a fillet. No si.ecinH'US of any of these arti<-les 
were obtained. I''ancy conical caj.s ai-e worn in the dam-es and theat- 
rical p.'rformanc.'s, bn"t these belong nn.re iiroperly under the head of 
(iames and I'astimcs (where they will be .lescribed) than under thatof 
Clothing. 



MANS KKOCK. 



113 



iiiiK 1 (ilupi) With tll( 






Fxnhs {ati<i,)—\\M, Ii,„k> m 
the li()iis( oi in w II lu \\( itln i il 
skin, 111(1 th. (iiiti 1 (k iliiiii II ) 

\Mtll tll< il 111 out lll( (lllt.l 

tlO( k IS llsi) SDIllc lllIK swolll with 
till lull 111 .sp,,|,||\ wluu It is 

new .111(1 th. tltsli M(h (h 111 iimI 
white Tins sid. is <,lt( ii oin i 
nieiited w ith litth tufts ,,| m ii t( ii 
till and still" "^"* " '1 '" '" 1 ' 1" 
ditiei.ii. . Ill ship. 1.1 t\v..ii th. 

tl.). ksot th. two s. \(s ll IS llLUl 

all. i(l\ in. iiti.,ii..l The man's u.,j 
ll... k is 1 h„,s. shut, not tittul to " 
tla l).)(l\,\M.l.iiiiu itth. l)ott..iii 
andi(-.i. liinj,', wli. n unli. it. .1 |iist 
Ixlow th( hips ih. skiits aic 
(iitott s.pi 11. oi sh^hlh loiinded, 
.uu] 11. 1 htth l.Mu. 1 iKhind 
than 111 front. the h....d is ^M, 
rounded, loose around th.' n.'ck, ''/ ' 
and fitted in more on the side^ 
than. .nth.' nap.'. Tii.- front .mI-. 
of th.' hood, wiicii .iiavMi ii|i. .-. 
hea.land runs n.und uii.I.t th.' . 
Ther.'ar.' in 111.- .■..!]. Tlion tlm 
troeks, to l..' worn outside. All hav.' h.'.'ii w.nii. No. ."ill? 
{Fij;. •'^•■i), lirown deerskin, will serv.' as the type. The pattern 




Km, :,::. 


M^UL 


n. 1 




ttleforwi 


r.l .. 


■ the to| 


of the 


■rill- the 


.•ars. 






.MIS, all r, 


thcr 


elahorat 


(■ divss 




be explained by retereii 
The body eonsists of tw.i pi. 

y ETH S 



114 



THK POINT BAKKOW 



part 
iiid II 



witli til. 
(l-cs. Tl 



tlie 
the 



i4 



Im 



anim.il is m id. 
Each shcM Is II, 
aie se^^Ld tn^cth 




ilo 0-M . im 


rlim 1 v> iruck 


V ()h( niK 111! St will 


oil With till tltsli 


abh \Mth ()( liti outM 


lid Vbiiid 



ind shoulder of man s irock 

li IS coiitiuiiou'5 With the back. 

d li u k, of the same shape, w hieh 

d-,. but s(])mted bdou b\ the 

mil II ip <il tli< finiit wliicli 

111 < I ^iiss( t tioiii till irm- 
pit in al\ to the wiist A 
bind ot dtLiskiii 111 luch 
bio id Is s(wul loiiiid the 
((U. ol tli( hood, ricsh side 
out 1 111 tiiiiiiiiiii^ ( misists, 
lust ol I II mow stiii)()tloiig- 
h mill woltsl 111 (tikdi from 
till iiiiddli otthi 1.1,1 )s, wed 
to till oiit.i si,b ot fill biiiil- 
iiU ot th. hood Its.ndssep- 
II iti d b\ till I hill pii I I , ,so 
th it till loiu h Ills toiiii a 
tiiiui noundtln tiie Siiu- 
il II stiips lu sewed lound 
I II 1 1 wiist with th< till in- 
w 11 d rht binding loimd 
tht si lit (Fig 55«) IS 2i 
1111 lus bio id Till luht- 
(oloiid stiijis LI I I lipjied 
inoiiiit 111! simp si III, the 
niiiow pipings lie ot the 
diik browii &km ot a very 
AOiiiu fiwn, the littk tags 
on till s. (ondstiip 111 ot red 
woi till mil the tiiii^i IS of 
di will! li is loloiid II d prob- 
simil 11 iiiittiiils HI ui>,Ld a 



HUEDOCH.] 



MAN.S FROCK. 



11; 



littl( .lithuiith (Fu "xh] 111(1 ]\ in, Iks 1,i„i,1 is ins, ,l((l ini,, il„. 

Tins |i, k, t IS 21 -, ii„l„s l,,ii^ fM.iiitli, <lnn (,. Ili, l,,,!!,,,,, ,,nii,- skirl 
-1 iii,li,sui,l, i,,„sstli. sl,„ul,l,is ,,1,1 _l .i„.l„svv,.l, ,ttl„.l,„tt ". 

and tlu l»st piitdl . ,, h si ,11 ,s l)i<,iul,l uli,i, ,1 \\,irsli,,NN ,i„,s^ 

Wlul, til, IMXIKI ]l(>ltl.)l,s II, out ot sl^lit 111,(1,1 |1„ ,,IIIS 

III, (l,i( I \ ,iiiti(,i, II, ,1(, iskii, tio, ks IS ,„ tl„ |i,„„„,„^ All hav,- 

til, IkmmI tltt,(l to th, Ik 1,1 ll„l tl,l(Mt NMlh (l,(,l ,11,1 II, ,,,;,! |,i,.c,'S, 
sill, 1 tilts, U, lll\,!lllil\ Wlllt, ol lulit ,()l,il(,l , \, II \\1,( I, II,,' IVdck is 

aik ot \\liit, sil), II III ,1, , I skill \Mitn iMissihl, il,, |„ ,,1 of 1 1„. dcci- 




is ll\\ US us. ,1 t,.i til, 1.1, kol til. I ,1 is( ijit Pun ol.s, ivcl lol,c 

til, , list, nil It Uliihk ' \ pi III! tlo(k IS soiiKtiiu, s lis,,] loi- roii-li 
woik liiiiitii,^ , t( Ihis his no tiiiu, (.1 tiiiniiiin_ loiind the hood, 
skut, Ol w lists th. hist 1). iiu snio.ithh h, nun, .1 .u l>,)Uii(l with dcT- 
skiii 111,1 th, list two l.tt 1 n\ oU.d 1 i, '<*> sln.ws su, h a Ja,-k,'t, 
wlildi IS oil, 11 III id, ot \, l\ 111 l\\ v.u\t( 1 do I skill Alost tlocks, how- 
evei, lii\, th, l>oi,l, 1 to th, hoo,l,itli, 1 ot woll Ol A\ol\, nil,' skin, ill 
thel.itt, 1 ( IS. ,s]., ,iill\ h.Miu th, ,11,1 ,.t th, stiips hiii^iii.i^-.lown 
likt t iss. Is iind, 1 th, (Inn 1 h, loii^ h nis ^i\, i , iit iin amount ot 
protdtion loth, ti, , \\l„ii w ilkiiij. 111 tIio\\iiid'' Iiisti id of a trinjic 
the bo,)d s,uiictinit's has tlir.',> tufts of liu, one on eaeli side and one 
above. 



' Sccoud Voy., p. 5:17. 



■ Comiiaro Pall. Alaska, p. 23. 




sti ii)s 111(1 iboidd i.miKl tli( sKiit (.t ( iljiiiit, hkt tliit(l(s<iil>. (I il.o\e, 
iiid tli( s, mis lit till tlnoit iiiiKs 11. iiipiil witli 111. .liil iliuost 
h iiiliss.ld isKni Willi li SI t^ till 111 ott til 111 till list I 111. .iMt riu 
wiists li i\. 11 ni.iw li mil is I w lit till 111(1 til. 1. w is i w.iltsl in tmu. 
til till lii.Dil Willi li \\ IS II nil Mill), ton til. ^ niii(iit\\ is..rt.ic.lt()i sik 
^.. .( 7 .7 |111 IS 1 \.i\ ii iiHlsi.iii. ^11 111. lit (Ti^ oS) The bodv 
111.1 si. (\.s II. Ill Willi. Mill liiowii (unit. I mil smimi.i) <iiiiiii« skins 

sill I 1> si III Illls IS till llh ll I 1 SI I II III Willi ll till ll )i ll Is III t lltti ll 
to 111. sill, sit th. till oil In . Ill\..l lll.l 1 .III1I..I t 111 IMt I Mil s ,11, I till 

lisliioii iiniMisil iiiioii^ tlu «.st(iii 1 si I Iioin ( i|,, I iflmist it 

k 1st to \iiitoii Sound llii iiittdii ot till h 1 is siii.wn 1)\ th. di 1 

•Tl VL \i se ti^lh ks H ti mm 1 11 the ^ati i U il 1 ui irom the Mackenzie ul Vii Icreon 



MANS l-'KOCK. 



grtxin (Fi.LC. < 







118 



THE POINT BARROW KSKIMO. 



Tlie foiinoi (miu'i ot tliislxaiitiliil IkmK -iik c 
elcgaiitl.v (lu'sscd. IIis(lwiskiiiclcitli(>\\c ic ilu 
Ilu' owiu'd <iii clcjj.int fioik ol l((\skiii^ lilt 1 1111(1 
a lii»>il <>t (Icciskiii, \\lii(h ^^t' did not mu ( < ( d ni 
lc( tKMi (Tlic " ]iiiii]K'i of mixed vhite and l>lii< 
Kain at Ita,' nnist lia\(' lu-cn like this.) 

The ^^olnal^s tuxk diftois fioiii tllat^\olIl 1)\ 
of till- hood and hkuth, .is nicntioiiod alMAc. iiid 



\eiy 

I, md 
wirli 
...1 



. sill 

h htt 




idc to "baj,'" soiiicwiiat in tlic liack, in order to 
;■ the chihl. The pattern is eoiisi.U-iably ditterent 
fi'om that of the man's frock, us will be seen ft-om the description of the 
tyi)e specimen (the ouly one in the collection), No. 74041 [1791] (Fig. 
Gl, a and &), wbich is of deerskin. The hood is raised into a little point 
on top and bulges out into a sort of rounded pocket at the nape. This 
is a holiday garment, made of strips of skin ft-om the shanks and belly 
'indeer, pieced together so as to make a pattern of alternating 

' Second Grinnell Exp., vol. 1, p. 203. 



in to the waist 
give room for c 



of the 



WOMAN 



no 



tt 

ic pattt'i 

with 
Trim- 




liglit 1111(1 (Iixik striix's. Tht 

The sleeves arc <>f tlic sain 

edge of the hood is h.iund 

deerskin, hair oatwu 

luiug: a strip of edging (Fig. 03) 

in which the light stripes are 

clipped white uioiiiitaiti sh(>ep- 

skin, the dark pii)ii»gs browii, 

almost hairless, fawnskin. and the 

tags red worsted, is inserted in 

the seam between 7 on each side 

and C and -', and a similar strip 

between the inner edge of 3, L', 7, 

9, and 1. A broader strip of simi- 
lar insertion, fringed below with 

marten fiir, with th." Hesh side ont Fi«.<«.-r..tkTn „f.vm„.n'. inHk. 

and colored red, rniis along the short seam JJ/f. The seam between n 

and 7 has a narrow piiiing of tliin brown deerskin, tagged with red 

worsted. A strii> of edging, withont tags and fringed with marten fur 

(Fig. 64). is inserted in the seam gygg. Tlie border of the skirt is 1 inch 

wide (Fig. (M). The dark stri])e is brown deerskin, 

1. the white, mountain sheej). and the fur, marten, with 

,*_„^_,, theie.lth-hM.h-oMt. Tile flumes are <h,ublestrii)S 

■ ■ ...-1-, -- i. iiw ■ II '" of \Nhitedeeiskin M-\M'd to the insiih'oltlie last seam, 

" - about .{ inches apaif. The sli,,ulder straps are of 

-~_3k,u.i«ui-=ss*:Ei ,.,!„,„„ ][]^,. (],_,(• ,n ,y, imt l,.,\^. tlie fur sewed on so 

„,;; woM.an H m,c of \\ olfskiii sewed t o t lie outside oftlie binding. Tliis 

froek measures t,") mciies in the back, :V1 in the fiont, 19 across tlie 
shoulders, and 17 at tlie w.iist. Tlie skills aie 131 inches wide, tlie 
front IS, and the back L'(» iik lies lomr. The iiieees 7, 8, and !• of the 
hood div white. This is an uiiusuall> handsome garment. 

V3 BE.fe^:S^S 5^■^T■ 5a5!iraB 




Kici. ti4.-l).-tuils I. f trill 

■nts rarely liave tlr 



11-, w,.inuiis frock. 

iirnaiiieiital piecing seen in this 
Its of tlie pattern is generally in 



Deerskii 
frock. Kach one of the numbered , 
one piece. Tiie pieces S and 9 are all 
often so. -Vbout the same vari.'ty in 
found as in the men's frocks, tliou.uh 
were the only materials seen used, and 

seen without the fringe round the 1 1. I'lain d.-erskin frocks are 

often bordered round the skirts with a fringe cut from deerskin. The 



and trimming is to be 
d mountain sheep skins 
Mi's frocks are lessotten 



120 THE rcHXT P.ARRdW ESKIMO. 

woMicii iKiwailays oftrn liiic' tin- iiiitcr fiock with (Irilliny. liri.uht calico, 
or fvcii hcdtickin.i;'. and tlicu wear it witli tliis side (int. 

Tbe frock.s for botii sc\cs, while made on the same .i;fneral pattevn 
as those of the other Eskimo, ditfer in many details from tliose of east 
ern America. For instance, tlu' liond is not fitted in round the throat 
with the pointed throat pieces or fringed with wolf or wolverine skin 
until we reach the Eskimo of the Anderson River. Here, as shown by 
the specimens in the National :\lnsenm, the throat pieces are small and 

wide apart, and the men's h Is only are fringed with wolverine skin. 

The women's hoods are very larj;'e everywhere in the east for the better 
accommodation of the child, which is sometimes carried wholly in the 
hood.' 

The hind flap of the skirt of the woman's frock, except in (ireenland, 
has developiMl into a lonj,' narrow train reaching the ground, while the 
front flap is very mnrh decreased in size (see references just quoted). 
The modern frock in (Ireenland is very short and has very small flaps 
(see illustrations in Kink's Talcs, etc., pp. 8 and 9), but the ancient 
fashion, judging from the plate in drantz's History of^ Greenland, re- 
ferred to above, was much more like that worn by the western Eskimo. 
In the Anderson and :\Iackeii/,ie regions the flaps are short and rounded 
and the front flap considerably tlie smaller. There is less difference iu 
the general shape of the men's frocks. The hood is generally rounded 
and close fitting, except iu Labradoi- aiul BafBn Land, where it is 
pointed oir the crown. The skirt is sometimes prolonged into rounded 
flaps and a short scallop in front, as at Iglulik and some parts of Baffin 
Laud.' Petitot ' gives a full description of the dress of a "chief" from 
the Ander-son River. He calls the frock a ••blouse ^chancree par c6t6 et 
termin^e en queues arrondies jiar de\ant et par derri6re." Thestyleof 
frock worn at Point Barrow is the iirevalcnt oiu' along the western coast 
of America nearly to the Kuskokwim. On this rivc-r long hoodless 
fi'ocks reaching nearly or quite to the giound are worn.^ The frock 
worn in Kadiak was hooilless and long, with short sleeves and large 
arndu.les lieneath these.^ 

The men of the Siberian Eskimo and sedentary f'hukches, as at 
Plover Bay, wear in summer a. loose straight-bottomed frock without a 
hood, but with a frill of long fur round the neck. The winter frock is 
described as lia\"ing "a square hood without trimmings, but capable of 
being drawn, like the mouth of a bag, around the face by a string in. 



son rivers (folii-.'U-cl li,\ ,\hi.l' :ii l:iini. J h.- I U 11. .in il.i- I.I.-.1 I .-...ii, M lul.- .-uU i.iii. h kirgur ami 

wilier than those in tnsliion nt i'.nnt B.arrow. ;iri^ nut so enonuuua as the more eastern ones. Tlic little 
peak on tlio top of tlic woman's hood at Point Harrow may bo a rominisoenco of tbe pointed hood worn 
by Oie women mentioned by ISessels, op. cit. 

' Parry, 2d Voy., p. 494. .and 1st Voy., p. 283. 

2 Monographic, etc.. p. xiv. 

* Petroff. op. cit, p. 134, Pis. 4 and .'). Seo .also specimens in the National Museum. 

' Pctrotr, op. cit., p. 139, and Liscanslsy, Voy., etc., p. l',)4. 



MUHDOCH.] 



MANTl.F.S. 



121 



sertcd in tlie edge."' Accordiiii;- to NoKlcnskiold.- (he men at I'itlckij 
wear the hoodle.ss frock sumnuT and wintei-. putlin^ nn (im- (ir Iwd -ck 
arate hoods in winter. The under hood a|>|)cars (.> he like i.iie <ir two 
which I .saw worn at Plover P.ay. namely, a ilosclitting niyhteap of 
thin reindeer skin tied under the chin. The 
dress of the Siberian women consists ol' t'l mk 

to ti<;httittin,y lioots rcachiiii,-- to the knees. ' 
Mantles. — '■('irc'iilar" mantles of deerskin. 
fastened at the neck liy 
over the lu^ad like a poi 
men in very cold weat 
clothes when lounj^in,;;- 
thevilla-'.-orwatchinjiata s.mI 
in^- the seal nets at ni.yht. Th 
allv atVected liv the old. 




put 



.pe 




' Dall, Alask.i, p. 379. 

' Vi-S.a. vol. 2, p. 08. 

» Nordi'iiskiiild, Vog.a, vol. 2, p. 100 .and Fig. on p. 57; D.iU, Alaska, p. 379 and plnteopposite. I also no- 
ticc<l thia dri'ss at Plov<.r I!ay in IS81. C:oniparc also Krause lirotlu'rs, Geogr. liliitdT, vol. 5. No. 1. p. 5, 
where tbc dress along tho coast from East Capo tu Plover Bay is described as wu saw it at Plover Hay. 



122 TITK POINT I'.AEKOW E.SKIMO. 

;iii(i overtoil tlic liair side. All tlie mantles seen were essentially of 
tlic saiiic iiattciii. Tlie edge is sometimes cut into an ornamental 
I'liimc, anil tlif llish side marked with a lew narrow strijjes of red oe.lier. 
Tliis-aiiiiciit ;i|,|n-ai stn lie peculiar to iKiitliwesteniAiiiciica. So men- 
tion is to be found of any sucli a tliin.u excei)t in Mi: iMacFarlane's 
:MS. notes, where lie speaks of a ih^eiskin blanket "attaelied with aline 
aeross the shoulileis in eohl weather," among the Andersiin IMver Es- 
kimo. We have no means at iiresent of knowing whether such eloaks 
are worn liy the coast natives between I*oint Barrow and Kittzebue 
Sound, but one was worn by one of the Nunata'fiuiinii who were at 
Nnwfdv in tlie autumn of ISSI. 

h'„ii,-fn>cl:s.—Thi' raindrock (sihVna) is made of stvijis of seal or wal- 
rus intestines abimt;! ini'hes broad, sewed together ed.-e to edge. This 
material is light yellowish brown, translucent, very light, and quite 
wateriiroof. In shape the frock resembles a man's frock, but the hood 
comes well forwaid and Hts closely round the face. It is generally plain, 
but the seams are nowadays sewed with black or colored cotton for orna- 
ment. The garment is of the same shape for both sexes, but the women 
freipiently covei- the llesli side of a deerskin frock with stri|is of entrail 
sewed together vertically, thus making a garment at once waterproof 
and warm, which is worn alone in summer with the hair side m. These 
out shirts are worn over the clothes in summer when it rains or when 
Hie wearer is working in the boats. There are no specimens in the col- 
lection. 

The kaiak jacket of black sealskin, so universal in (ireenland, is un- 
known at Point Harrow. The waterproof gut frocks are ].eculiar to the 
wcstein Eskimo, though shirts of seal gut, worn between the inner aiid 
outer frock, are mentioned by I'^gcde (]>. KiO) and Orantz' as used in 
('.reenlaiidin thi'ir time. Kllis also' says: " Some few of them [i. e., the 
Eskimo of Hiidsons Strait] wear shifts of seals' bladders, sewed to- 
gether in pretty near the same form with those in Fairojie." They have 
been described generally Tinder the name hniilciJ.K (said to be a Siberian 
word) by all the authors who have treated of the natives of this region, 
Eskimo, Siberians, or Aleuts. We saw them worn by nearly all the 
natives at Plover I'.ay. One handsome one was obseived trimmed on 
the seams with rows' of little red noduh^s (i.ieci's of the beak nf one of 
the piilliiis) and tiny tufts of black feathers. 

The cotton frock, already alluded to as worn to kee]* the driving snow 
out of the furs, is a long, loose shirt reaching to abcmt midleg, with a 
nmnd hole at the neck large enough to adnut the head. This is gener- 
ally of bright-colored calico, but shirts of white cotton are sometimes 
worn when hunting on the ice or snow. Similar frocks are worn by the 
natives at Pitlekaj.^ 

1 Vor 1. p. 137. 

' Vnyagi- lr> nnilsims Bay, p. 136. 

'NordeDskiiiUl, Vi-ga, vol. 2. p. 98. 



1-J3 



Mittem. — The hands ■.nv nsuallv iiiotcrtcd liv mittciis (ailk^Vlii of 
difteieut kinds ot till 1 In (oiiiiikum ^t kind m (ildcnskiii uomwiili 
the flesh side ont. Ol Hkm tin ( oIIm ihmm diil mis mu piii \,. s'isjs 
[973J (Fifi 07) The\ an mid. nl tin. k\Mnl(i i.nid.d skin uiih lli, 
white flish side outw aid. Ill tin sli ipc nl mdin ii \ iiiilti iis luil slmi I md 

.s( nils IK ills(\\(d (i\ii iiiddMi (111 tin li III sid( I Ik sc iiiitti lis 

aie <tlM.iit TUluhes loiiu and P laoid lli. In. |hiI ol tin llimnl.is 

oiih -'1 111' hcs hiug on the (iiit( 1 sidt Sm h niiit( iis m tin ,,n|inii\ 

hand (oNniiit; <>t men, woiiuii ind < Inldu n lii.\ti.iin i old w . itin i 

Ol dlllllifi \Mlitei huiitlii!, \(i\ In i\\ iiiifti lis of tin sum sh ip. l)iit 

gatheied to a wiistliaiid, ait w.iiii. Thist .in in nh olwluit Ik nskiii 

fo! nil II and women, ^ 

fol (llddMli ot don 

skill Willi tin hair 

ont V\ In 11 tin li.ilid 

CO\eieil witli siu h .1 

mitten is In Id iiiioii 

tlu \Miidw lid siiU-ot 

th( t i(. Ill w ilkiiis, 

theloiin liaii attoids 

a \ei\ I tin n lit pio 

tettion afj^aiiist the 

wind 111. loiiKstift 

hail ot til. IxMi 

skill ilso 111 ik.s the 

iiiitt.ii I \<i\ ton 

v. lilt III Iniisli loi 11 

moving- snow ami hoar iV.ist 

useil tor hnishiiii;- up the rto..r. 

In the MafFarlane folle.'tioii aiv similar niittfiis fn.in the Mat-keiiz 

r.-ioii. I'.-litof savs Ihf Ainl.-rson liiver ••.•hi.'t" wore |.iialiik ■• m 

tain.'s tm iieaii ,1.. morse, aiissi l.laii.dies ft aiissi soyeiisfs ,|iif tie l...| 

hiiiie." Th.'se were prohaldy of bearskin, as a mitten ot walrus ski 

is ii.it likely t.. he ••hlan.-he" or •• soyeiisf." (iloves aiv w.irn uii.h 

these as at I'.iint Harrow. All thesf 

haivly liifftin- the froek sh'fVe. and It 

ill, whifh is partially fovere.l hy the ir 

of the sleeve. 1 iiave aireatly m-ntioi 

women of earryiiif^ only tuie mil ten an 

froek.^ The men, exeept when hiintin.u, lre,|iit'iitly wear t.iily 

these heavy niitteiis. whieli are eaUed im'alii. Wateiprot.f init 

bhiek sealskin, eomiii};- well up over the forearm, were als.iobs.i v 

not obtaine.l. 1 do n.)t lememher ever .seeinj;- them in use. 

'C>ii.u«iu Parry, 2d Voy.. p. 494, where a simila. habit is meutionea at IgUilik. 




nittfiis ai-f short in tlif wrist, 
vin- a fiat-k ft.r the folil to act 
al wolf or wolverine skin friii--." 
I thf .•ominoii habit amoiiii- the 
ilrawin.u- ..ne arm iiisitle of the 
if 



Hit 



124 TIIK POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

C,'/,,,.,.^.— Ciliivcs (if lliiii ili'crskiii. Wdi-ii witli tlic li:iir in, ;mil often 
(.l.-;iiiIl.V(.in;n,HN,t.'.l.;Mv usr.lNvith full .Ircss, ..s|,,M-i;,lly ;il t lir ilniH-.-s. 
As already staled. I lie men weai- siieli i;loves under (lie pnain ulien 
sli.iotin.u ill Ihe winler. Wlieii ready to slioot, the hunter slij.s otl' the 
7iiitten and liol.ls it between his le-s, wliih; the .iiloxe enaliles him to 
coeU the rille and draw t h<' tri--.'r without touching' the cold metal with 
his hare hands. Th.'ie are two pairs of gloves in the Mdleetion. No. 
S!)S2!) 1<.I74] (lM.i;-.<W) iilirstrati'sa very eoiniiion style called a'(lrij;-iMlriii. 
Thev are made nl lliiii reindeer skin, with tlie white flesli side out, and 




liimsy tiiis'i'rs and thumbs 

1(1 ])ie('e, 

s th.' thiiml.. The 

Is. Thi' outside ]iieee of the thumb 
but is shorter on the rifiiit, 

the ed.ue seam bein-' between (I l,u('S of the 

Ka.'h lin-er is' a sin-le pieee .hiul.led len-thwise and 

an e.l-in.^of two narrow strips of clipped mountain sheep skin, bordered 
With a narrow stri|) of wolverine fur with the reddened liesli side out. 
These oloves were made for sale and are not well mated, one beiii-- S.J 
iiielu's, with tinkers (all of the same ieii'^th) M inches lon.ii', while the 
.itlier is S inclu's Ion- with lin.iiers of :\l inches. Xo. .-.(1747 [lliS] is a 

jiair of i;loves made in tin- sa way but "more elaborately ornamented. 

Tluav is a band ot deerskin but no frin-e round th.' wrist. The back 
of the hand is cvered with l)rown deerskin, hair out, into whicli is in- 
serted the s(piare ornamental pattern in which the li-ht stri])es are 
wiiite deerskin and the dark pipiii.us the usual almost iiairless fawn- 
skin. CloN'cs like this type are the most common and almost univer- 
sally ha\c a frin-e round the wrist. They are also usually a little 
h)n'ier wristed than the mittens. 



MUKDOCH.) 



i;i;i 



1 -2 ") 

i:>kiln„, l.ul -loves 
Irss wanu .■ov.Tiii- 



with tiii.ucrs. whicli. ;is is well kiidwii. arc :i 
for the iiand rii;iii inirfciis, uw very rare. ': 
Sound' ami in tiir Mac'l<rn/,ii' distrirt,-' and lia\c even been ol.svrvft 
anion- th.' Arctic lli,uldandcr> of Smith S.mml, u ho. however, -enei 
ally wear mithMis.^ l>i-. Simpson* mentions hotli deerskin and l.cai 
skin mitfens as used at Point liarrow. hnt mak<'s no refcicmc |. 
-h.ves. The natural inference fnan this is Ihat the fashi.m of ucaiin; 
-loves has l.e.'U introduced since his time. It is ,|Hitc proliahlc t lia 

the introduction of tii-earms has fivored the -eiieial ado|ili f.-l,,\e> 

The followin- hypothesis may he su-,-ested as to the way the fasiiioi 
reached Point Barrow: W.- may suppose timt tin' Malimini of N,,rl,, 
Scmnd jiot the idea directly from the Kussians. They would ,arry tli 
fashion to the NiMiatahnuun at Kotzehue Souml, who in their tur 
would teach it to the Point P.airow traders at t he Col ville, and Il.es 
would carry it on to the eastern natives. 



Jinrrlu-s (/m'/.//).— The usual lei; < o\ 
,mirs of kne,. Inceches, rather 
loose, hut litt.'d lo tiie shape of 
the le.-. They ale vvvy low ill 
front, barely co\ erili- tlie]iubos, 



:xz « ' 




of the back. T 

the waisl. and ;: 

teiied below the knee, ov 

boots, by a drawslrin- There '/M 

is one pair in the collection, N< 

r,(;:r,U j!tl|, I'i- r,<t. They are l|J|: 

of sh.nt hairc.l bro\ 

skin, fr.nn tlie body 

iiial, worn with Ih __ 

The waist is hi-lier behind than 'tlii': 

in front, and ea.h le- issli.-htly 

-atheivd to a band just !..■ 

I(,w the kne... Pattern ise.. 

dia-ram. Pi-. 7(t): There are 

two pieces in ea.-h le-. the ill 

side and the outside. The 

spaces between Mie edjics r of the two Ic.ys is tilled by the -uss.-t, 



[■■ic. 6S).— Mali's hrccchcsofdicrskii 



I DM, Alaska, III. 



' I!vs.scl3, Saluralist, vul. 18, p. 1 
« Op. cit., p. '2-12. 



126 



THE POINT BARKOW ESKIMO. 



iiKi.lf «{■ tivo pi.Mvs. wliicli .-ov.Ts tlu> iml.cs. The .■lotcli is rcinforc.-.l 
l.y a s(iuan' patcli ..f white .l.'ciskiu srwcd uu tlie inside. The trim- 
miug eoiisists (if stiijis of edging. Tlie first strip (Fig. 71) is U inches 
^vide, and runs along the front seam, inserted iu the outside piece, to 
the knee-band, beginning 5 inches from the waist. The light strips 
are of clipped mountain sheepskin; 
the dark one of dark brown deerskiu ; 
tlie pipings of the thin fawu skiu, aud 
the tags of red worsted. The edges 
of tlie strip are fringed with narrow 
double strips of mountain sheepskin 
J iiK lie> Ion-, jial on about 1] inches 
apait. \ stiamhl --liip.LliiK lii-~\\nle, 
Is inserted oblnpieh .\( ioN-,tiie(mtsnle 
piece from scam to scuii. It i~.o1 the 
same mateiials, but dilleis ^li;^htl\ in 
< -~aiM( iiiateii.ds and L'i inches deep. 
I- J-t in( hes behind, I'-'i" m fiont; the 
d tlu' thmh and If lound the knee. 




dl 


ess biee.h 


es, a 


dl 


(1 usu.ilh 


I, 


1. 
h 


peitecth 
111 turned 


li 



patt»'iii. Th 

The length from uaist t 

giith of the leg UJ inches round tl 

These lepresent a common st\le ol 

with a pail of tiimmed boots held u] 

They aie always \\oiii \Mth the liaii 

over a i)air of deeiskin diawers. 

buedii-- aie oi heaviei deei-kin. 

plain, being usiiall,\ worn alone, will 

III. \\ hen .1 p.iii oi umlei bie<'( lies is woiii. howevi 

the liair of the outei ones is tinned out. Tiimm 

breeches are loss eommon than trininied fioc-ks, 

the plain breeches when new aie often woin foi fi 

diess. The dean, white lit -li -i<l( pi<-.ni^ a \< 

neat aiipearance. Tin -km ot tl ii-li -(al 

sometimes, but lanU. u-^t d toi sunimei IimmIii 
will, h aie woiii with III. li Ml out. ^\ ith tin- . \< . | 

t.)be iii\aiiabl\ in i.|. ol d.ei-kin. Tin- u.i 'nl 

\eisal aiMoni; tli.' i'.skiiii.i and \aii.s \, i\ litll. in | 



P(t 


nUdoons {I ii 111111' 


men. 


wearpaiitalo.>n 


tlllU. 


Us with the fo.> 


...lie 


ti..n. X... 74(I4L' 


with 
ankl 


s. al-kin m.i. . . 


hips 


and highei bel 



.'s seem 
11\ uiii 



.)\eiiim. Of tiie tw.. pall- ..t pant iLxmi- m tli.^ 
7!f_*] (Fig. 7l>) will sei\e as tli.' t\]..'. Tin- sh.K's 
11 soles anil deeiskiii iippeis aie s.'wed ,lt the 
It titting d.-eiskin tl. niseis, reaching above the 
.1 tli.in 111 fi.)iit. Pattern (diafii.im. Fig. 73a): 



Each leg is composed of four long pieces (lioni I, 
and iuside 4), five gussets (one on the tlii^li "> 1 
0, (;, (;, Cm. \\lii. h .•nl.uues the yaiinent t.i lit lli. -w 
thigh anil ihe hall w.iistban.l ^7). Th.' tu.. leys a 



e 1'. back .^, 
.111 the calf, 
li<> .alt and 
toj;.-th.T by 



WOMEN S PANT A T,()( )\S 



t- l.i-i I 

- 1 SIH^I, 
Mint 

(I. <1 



127 



joiuing the edges (7 /I </ i.l t 
into the spat-e in front \\ itl 
legs. The sole of ea.li -li.x i- 
vritli the grain side out Ik nt u] 
IJ inelies all roxuid tin todt k 
at the toeandlieelandl>ioid. st 
the ball of the font. 1 Ik to. n 
are "gathered" into sli i)i( 1>\ iniiipuu 
the edge vertically. \ ni) k » ot il)out 
3i inches is left nncuiiipul on eith 
.side of the foot. (Thepioi < ssot .imiii 
ing these soles will be d. s( nb. d und< i 

the head of 1 ts and -ho, . « 

properly Ixdongs). Aionnd th< to]» ot 
this sole is sewed a niiiow l)ind ot 
white sealskin, sewed omi i 
on the edge of the uiKiiniptd -p 
but 'M-un" through tilt ^itlin- it 
ends, so as to draw tin in up Tin 
ujiper is in two iiieces (iu-el, M, and 
toe, 1(1). The heel piece is folded n.uud 
the heel, and the toe jiiece doubled 
along the line /'. and the curved cdyes 
f/(/ joined to the straight edges h //. 
which makes the loldeil edge /'. (it the 
outline of the instcj.. The bottom is 
then cut o(V accurately to (il the -olc 
and sewed loihecdgcC II, clMiid. Tl... 

at the ankles. The whole ismad.-of the 

sh(nt haired skin from the d 

dark brown skin (I(» |.ut on so that 

aukle comes on the outsjd 

ing pieces are white, making a 

inner edge of ."> is i)iped wilh dark mow 

of white skin is inserted at the bottom 

pair of ].antal s of nearly t 

and put tu-clher in a similar 
sealskin with the hair left on ; 
leg skin, wholly dark brown. <■ 
white. There is a i)iei 
aukle tuft is in the same ]M.sition. 

From the general lit of these garments they appear to be all made on 
essentially the same pattern, jnoliably without greater variations than 
those already described. When worn by the women the material is 
usually, if not always, the skin of reindeer legs, and most commonly of 




128 



THK POINT liAKl 



■;kim( 



the pMttcni of No. r>()74S [l.S()|, naiiicly, ])rowH, witli wliitc Icjj; gussets. 

I'aiital IS wholly of hrowii skin anMiiiite coiniiioii, csin'cially for cvcry- 

<lav wi-ar. whil.- striped oii.'s, like No. 74(»4li [1701']. are iimcli less usual 
anil worn s|HM-ially for full .hvss. Cliildreu's pantaloons are always 
l.rowu. and I lia\c sern one pair, worn l.y a youn.y- lad. ol' lynx skin. 
The two or tlircf pairs whirli we saw worn by uuMi were w iiolly brown. 
These jiaiitaloons of Icl;- skin with sealskin soles are always worn with 
th<' hair out and usually over a pair of under jiantaloons of the sanu' 
shape, but mad.' of softer skins with longer hail', which is worn nrxt 



tht 



■t. Th 



Hit; 



-n^ 




Fiu. 73.— P.attema of worran'e 

in snniiner and the inner ones only worn, the feet being jiroteeted by 
sealskin wateiproof Ijoots, as already stated. The waterproof sealskin 
liantaloons mentioned in the same connection do not fit so neatly, as 
they are made with as few seams as possible (usually only one, up the 
leg) to avoid leakage. They are sewed with the waterproof seam, and 
held up round the aidde by strings, like the waterproof bo,,ts to be de- 
scribed furtlier on. This last- mentioned garment seeius to be peculiar 
to the Point Barrow region (including probably Wainwright Inlet and 
perhaps the rest of the coast down to Kotzebue Sound). No mention 
of such a complete protection against wet is to be found in any of the 
published accounts of the Eskimo elsewhere, nor are there any si)eci- 
mens in the Museum.' 



'Dr. Simpson's language (op. cit., p. 243) is a litlli' 
water-tight sealskin boots"), but probably refers to i) 
coat of the same material," and the boots and outsidr 
round the faee," mentioned in the same place, appeari 
time. At all events, we saw neither, though wo con 



. ( 'Tho feet and legs are incased in 
ll.i-ti.Uie knee boots. The "outside 

;i'Ir ;ill in one, with a drawing string 
gone wholly out of fashion since his 

jaw the natives when working in the 



boats, and these garments, especially the latter, could hardly have failed to attract our attention. 



STOrKTX(!S HOOTS AND 



Boots iuid brewhes united in this way so as to lorin paMtalnons arc 
peculiar to the west of Aniciiia. wiicic they arc uiii\ < rsall\ worn IVoni 
the Mackenzie disti-ict westward and s(aith\vai(l. W.^ iiaxc no speci 
mens of wonicu'slej;-coverini;s from the >[acl^en/ii' disiriel. Iinl I'ctitut' 
dcscril)es them thus: "Lc j.antalon » * ' fail corps avcc la chaus 
sure." In the cast tlie women always wear Iprccciies s.'paralc from the 
hoots, which usually differ fi'omtliosc of tlie men in theirsizcand Icn.-lh, 
often rcachin- to the hi|.s.- 

.S7.)r/.;/(.</.s-.— Next to the skin oil the feet and Ic-s the men wearstocU- 
in.n's of deerskin, usnally of soft, rather lon.u' haired skin, with the hair in. 

These aiv usually in three i.ieces. the Ic--. 1. 

toe i.icce. L'. and sole. :! i see dia-ram. Fij;'. [ 
74). A strai;;lit stii]ialiout 1 inch wide often 

runs VI I the foot lictwccn the sole and the 

other |.ic<-cs. Stockin-s of t his pal tern, hiit 
made of ver\ thick winter deerskin, are suli- 
.stituted fiir the outer hoots when dcer-hnni 
in^r in wintei- in llie dr,\ snow. es]ieciall> 
when snowshocs are used. 'I'liey ar.- warm : 
the tiesh side sli.-ds the snou well and the 
thick hairacls as a sorl ofwaddinj;- which 
keei)s the feet from heinji .galled hy the bars 
and striufis of the snowshocs. .Many of the 
deerhunters in ISS.? made roujih buskins 
of this patlcrn .mt of the skins of frcshlx 
kiUed d.'cr simply diie.l. without further 
lueparation. 

Hoots ami ,sA<.c.v.— Over 1 h. 



i]ij;s 



worn t)ootsor shoes wiin uppcisiu n.iiioii,-- 
kinds of skin, with the hair on. or black 

tanned sealskin, always lilted lo 1 Hess 

.•riniped -casin soles ,.f s.une .litf.Mcnt 

leather, of I he pattern which, with s.nnc 
sli-ht modilicalions .,f Innn. is universal 
amon-thc Mskimo. These s<,lcs are made 
as foUows: A "IHank" for Ih.. sole is .ait 



I'll 




niim- at one side of Ihc ball of I he toot, the 

toe part is doubled ,.ver toward the inside of the sole, so that the 

cdn'cs just iiuitch. The two parts are then pinched to.u'ethcr with 



tUc' C.pli.rmii.r :ipiM';n t.. 

shoes" list Ex].., vol. -J, p. 1 

9 ETH 9 



taml Gulf. Also in I.ul.r: 
„ met iit til.' HIo,.,Iy VM < 



130 THE POIN'T BAKKOW ESKIMO. 

the teeth along a line ]iaiall<l to the folded edge aud at a distauee 
from it equal to tlit- dciirli of the intended fold. This bitten line runs 
from the edge of tiu- leather as far as it is intended to turn up the side 
of the sole. A series of similar folds is carried round the toe to a point 
on the other side of the sole opposite the starting point. In the same 
way a series of crimps is carried round the heel, leaving an uncrimped 
space of 2 or 3 inches on each side of the toot. The sole is tluMi sewed 
to a band or to the edge of the upper, with the thread run through each - 
fold of the crimps. This gathers tlic ^olc in at the heel and toe aud 
brings the nucrimped part straight u]mmi .ach side of the shank. When 
tlu' folds are all of the same length and but sHghtly gathered the sole is 
turned up ncarlv straight, as at tlie heel usually, aud at the toe also of 
waterproof l)oots. \Vhen tiie folds are long and much gathered the sole 
slopes well in ovtSr the foot. Someboots.esiiecially those intendedfor full 
dress,havethesoledeeper on the sides than at tlie toe, so tliat the top of 
the sole comes to a point at the toe. The ordinary pattern is alxmt the 
same height all round and follows the shape of the foot, being rather more 
gathered in over the toe than at the heel. The "blank " for the sole is cut 
out by measuring the size of the foot on the leather aiul allowing by eye 
the margin which is to be turned up. The crimping is al.so done by 
eye. Any irregularity in the length of the crimps can be remedied by 
pressing out the crease. I have never seen at Point Barrow the ivory 
knives, such as are used at Norton Sound for arranging the crimps. 

Different kinds of leather are used for the soles, aud each kind is 
supposed to be best suited for a i)artiiular purpose. The beautiftil 
white urine-tanned sealskin is used for winter wear when the snow is 
dry. but is not suited for standing tlie roughness and daiiipness of the 
salt-water ice. For this purpose sealskin dressed w ith tlie liair on and 
worn flesh side out is said to be the very best, prefeialdc e\en to the 
various waterproof skins used for sunimer boot soles. Fm- waterproof 
soles are used oil-dressed skins' of the walrus, bearded seal, polar bear, 
or, 1 >est of all, the white whale. This last nuikes a beautiful light yellow 
translucent leather about 0-1 inch thick, which is quite durable and 
keei)s out water for a long time. It is highly prized and qidte an article 
of trade among the natives, a pair of soles usually commanding a good 
price. These p:skinio appear to be the only ones who have discovered 
the excellence of this material for waterproof soles, as there is n(j men- 
tion to be found of its use elsewhere. The "narwhal skin" spoken of 
by Dr. Simpson' is probably this material, as he calls it " Kel-lel'-lu-a," 
which is the ordinary word for white whale at Point Barrow. The nar- 
whal is very rare in these waters, while the white whale is comparatively 
abundant. Dr. Simpson appears not to have seen the animal from which 
the skin was obtained. It is, however, by no means impossil >le that some 
skins of the narwhal, which when dressed would be indislinguishabh' 

'Probably prepared like the b.Kit .-.ivi-rs described by Crantz. toLI. p. 167. by diyiut tl],i,i witbout 
removing all of their own blubber. 
'Op.cit., pp. 242-266. 



K( )( ) 



.",.,1 |Mt 

.,MTinlly 



from the white whale skins. 

elsewhere. Siidi criiniicd s( 

where, varying' Imt little in 

tern. The Greenland IxMits 

noticeable tor the neatness dt tin- t iiiii|i 

iug, while specimens in the .AInscuiii from 

the central rei;i(m are decidedly sluviidy 

in their worknianship. The In Kits worn 

by the natives of Plover I'.ay have tiie 

sole narrowed at the shank and liardly 

coming over the toot cxcciil at the toe 

and heel, wheie they aie ciiniiied. hut 

less deeply than usual. This style of sole 

very much resembles tlmse of a pair of 

Kamchatdale boots in the National Mu- 
seum, which, however, are turned uji with- 
out crimping, as is the case with the boots 

used by the Aleuts on the Commander 

Islands, of which Dr. L. Stejnc.uci has 

kindly shown me a specinu-n. There is a 

folded '-welf of sealskin in the scam be- 
tween the uppci' and sole of tlie j'loNCl 

Bay boots. 1 am informed by < apt. Keren 

deen that the natives liav.^ b.'cn tau.uht to 

imt this in by the whalemen who every 

year ])ur<'hase large nund)eis of boots on 

the Siberian coast, for use in the Arctic. Mnuiar welts, wiiicii are \ery 

unusual on Kskimol ts.arct.. !..■ seei some brought by .Mr. X.'Ison 

from Kin-s Island and Norton Sound. The 
iter bo.its usually haxc U|ipers of deer- 
11, generally the short-haired skin from 
legs. .Mountain-sheepskin is sometimes 

<1 for full-dress 1 ts. and sealskin with 

hair out for working 1 ts. The latter 

is not a ii«nd material, as the snow sticks 
to it badly. There arc tour jiairs of nieifs 
winter boots in the collcctiiui, from which 
No. r,t;irM [lllj (Fig. :.-.) has been selecte.l 
as the typt^ of the 
are made of decr-1 

soles. Leg and upper arc in Ibur 

•s,' back 1. two sides L' 1'. ami front ;!; 

(1 3 are gored at <i a a to fit the sw.-ll 

dark skin, and li 2 lighter colored, especially 

along the middle. The bottom is cut off accurately to lit the sole but the 

top is left iiTCgnilar, as this is concealed by the breeches. The boots are 





day pattern. The 
in with white sea 



.-alt: I and , 



' See diagram, Fij 



;.\i;i;(>\v i;sKiM( 



1 -111 nil iiiuinl llic ;imU1<-^ 1'.\ I"" I if stiiiii;s iil si-;iltli«(ii,i;. sewed in be- 
twiM-ii till- -oil' anil till' liaiid. one mi each side Jiisi iiiidfr the middle 
„,',1,.. ankle. Tliev an- Inn- ..Mm^^l, In rrnss al...vr I lie 1i.m-1. pass onee ..r 
luirc roiiiHi llir;iiikl.'. which lils more llMlS(■ly 
|,,,„th.■ i,-.|c.rth(lH.(.t.an<l tie ill front. On 
ach hrrl i> a hn-i- rouial |.at<-li of sealskin 
,i,l, 11,,. haiion;ni(i poiiilin- toward the toe 




(l< 



Slip 



Tliese patches a 



rai.'f.illv ••hlind stitch. 'd" on so that the 
sni.-hc>' ,lo not sliow on th.' outside. 

|;o(ii> ot this style arc the common every- 

1/ <hi\ wear of tlic iiii'u. sometimes made wholly 

■['is WE of dark dciMskin and sometimes vanegated. 

- '^m '■''"•> •"■'■"I'"'" inaih'of a ]iatt.M-n like that of 

r^ iS^ai the hiwci- pall of the women's pantaloons; 

llial i>. Willi tlie iipi)eis separate IVoni the leg 

]iie,-es. wliieh are lirown. with four white gus- 

/"ii-l^m oi fa iiair of fidl-dress hoots of a slightly 

'/^^^&^ ditfcrcnl pal tern. The 1..- jMeees are tlie 

•'■'*"^^^| .aiiie ill iiiiml.ei as in No. .-.(ITolt. and putt.i- 

f< ditf..rei,t >lia|M..' They are made of .h'er- 

/->, h- skins, eacli pie.-c with a li.ulit..r streak 



Flu. 77.-.M:iii .- ilnss 1 




sliin-. wliielicom, 
aieslrin-sat tin^ ; 

iMg. 7!.. No. s..s:;4 |77()| 

ot mount: 
^kin. The s.,les are moiv dee 
ill round 
or iiental liands ot 

ing isiiiserted intohotli Ilie seamson each side. It is of strips of im am- 



Mi-RDorn.l BOOTS. \X] 

tain-sliccii skill ;iii<I;i dark hidun dcciskiii. f:i,ni;( d \\ itii udwoisiid with 
tliecdjic wliicli laps-ivcirlicsidrpifcc cut into ul)li(|iu t i^s llu ,, ,i( 
no tit'striii.iis, as the soles arc turned uji liijih ( ikuuIi to st is iii |ili(( 
without them. Tiiese hoots were hroiioht from tin i ist h\ oik oI tin 
Nuwfik trading- parties in I.s.sl'. Fiu. ,s(I, Nd. .")(,: t<» | i loj ]s iKo i lull 
dress boot, with soles like the last and no ticstiiii^^ llu h ^ is,,| lu,, 
piet-es of dark brown deerskin with the liaii < lipjH d shoit llu s( 
pieces arc shaped like i' in No. .")(>75(i. and tiie inm i is 1 iu( i so tli it it 
laps round the le'i'. brin.uiiii; the seam on the outsid, 1 hi h^ is ( n 
laiffed to tit the swell ol' the calf by a large triaii^ul ii ^iissit lioiii the 

side jiiece in an obliijiie seam across 
the calf. Instead of a •hem. tin- 
top of the le- has a half-in.h band 
sewed round it and a binding tor 
the drawstrin.i; above this. l':d.uin-- 
is inserted in the front seam, and 
obli.|Uely acl-oss the outside of tlie 
lej;-. That in the front seam is thre<- 
narrow strii.s of deerskin, dark in 
.the iiiicblle ami li.ulit im each side. 
The other is of moiintainsheep skin 
in three stri])s,]ii|ie(l with fawnskin 
and tagged with worsted. 

The boots belon.- with the 
breeches, No. .".(iT.V.*. The\ tairl\ 
rejireseiit the st\lc of full dre>.^ 
boots worn with the loo-e bottomed 
breeches. The\ all have iliaw 
strinj;s just below the knee, .iml 
often ha\.' no tie -~tlin.i;s at the 
ankles. Theeasiern Kskimo are cn 
boots tied at the top with a drawsti 
usually loose and hangin.u down ..i 
over th.' tolis of the I 




e d(s, iib.d is ^^, iiii,^ the 

Ihcbotlomsol th. bi((, h.s 

T\in^ down th. bn.ih.s 



<. as is done at Point i. iiiou is in impio\( 
ment on the easlern fashiim. as it closes the.uaimiiit-, it th. km. s.. i- 

topr.'v.Mil Ih.-.Mitran.-.' ..f.-..l,l air. Th.' sam.' i . -,iilt i> ..bt i 1 in in 

exactly opposite way b\ the |..'.)pl.' of Smith Soiiml wh.i i((..idiiu t. 
liessels (Naturalist, \-.>l. IS, p. S(i,-.). tie tin- boots ..\ . i tin b:<<tlM s 

.Ml fur ,';aiiiieiits. incliidiui;- 1 ts. arc sew.'.l in th. s im. w n iisii ill\ 

with iviml.'.T sin, 'W, by littin- the cl-.'s b,-. th. i in.l s.wiiu th. iii 

"over and ov.a"..ii t h.' •• wr.ui-" si.l.-. Th.' wat. i piool 1 ts ,,t bl i. k 

sealskin, Imwev.'r. aiv s.'w.-.l with an .'lalMuat. .l..ubl. s, mi win. hi^ 
(piite waterpro.if. and is ma. I.' as Ibll.iws: 'I'll, tw.) jills n. put t.> 
gether, flesh side to tlesh side, so that the .•ilg. ot oiu jiioi. .ts b. \..nd 



134 




Tin 


K IN 


iINT 


BAKRi 


)W KSKIMO. 


tli.'orhci 


•. wllieh is 


thel 


1 ••1) 


lind,- 


i!itehO( 


1" down by sewing it '-tiver and 


over" on 


the ed- 


i. f., 


kinf; 


;■ pains to 1 


run the stitehcs only part way 


Ihrou^'li 


the otlier 


piiM 




The 


seam i 


s then liiriied and the edge of 














the outer ]Meee is turned in and 
••run" down to the grain side 


^ 


^ 










<if the under with tine stitehes 
which do not run through to 
the llesh side <d' it. Thus in 
neither seam are there holes 


vM 












through both pieces at imce. 


1 


( ii 










The sewing is done with flue 


■ ■ 4 










sinew thread and very fine 


.yi^ 










round iieeilles(tbe women used 


•3 












to ask tor "little needles, like 




f^i 




I 






a hair"), and the edge of the 












leather is softened by wetting 




V r *.-'"^^ 




i\ 






it in tilt iiHiutli A similar wa- 




^ 






^ 
^ 

^ 


5 


tt ipiool seam is used in sVwiug 
toijithti btiat (oveis. 

Theie is tine pan ot water- 
l)ioot botits m the collection 
No 7(dsJ[]7ltl] Fig M) The 
t ips III <il liLii Iv diessed seal- 
skin It i< hinn to the knee ,ind 


F.H.M,.- 


-l';iir,.rTi.iii 


.Il 


' ' 


' ' 


" 


( spi ( 1 ilK lull on tin iiistepaud 


ankl.-. wl 


Inch re^nlt■^tnl 


III ti 


Ik II 1 


II iiu II 


1 id< \Miii till h 1st ipossibh num- 


bcrot SI 


■anis. to It 


■din. 


III. 


1 li II 


ic< ot 


1, ikiii_ lilt s.dts lie ot white 


Nvl.al.' sk 


in. tiirm d 


up 


lllol 


It 1 ' 1 


111,1ms 


dl iioiiiid Ihe leg and npper 


an- iiukU 


■all iiioM. 




. M> 


tint 


tilt d.l 


iibli u iti 1 tittht se.uniuns dtiwu 


the IVolit 


of tlie It 


■a to 


tile 


insti 


■p. and 


1 then diagonally across the ftiot 


to tilt' (] 


uaiter on 


t)ne : 


side 


. Til 




im is tut off accurately tti fit the 


top of tl 


icstde. 'i 


'hee 


tl-ei 


s of t 


he np|i 


ler aiitl the solt^ are put together 


so tliat the iiisi.lr 


ol' t 


he !'( 


piiiiei 




^ against the inside tif the latter, 


and the : 


twt) aif •• 


run" 


In--: 


erlier 


with 1 


iiie stitches, with a stoiit double 


uiider-thiead nini 


lin- 


llin 


mull 


them 


along the surface tif the upper. 


Tlie orn: 


iniental li 


>:ind 


al 1 


:lie t( 


>V i^ ' 


if white sealskin "run" on with 


stron;; d 


arii thre;i 


id. :ii 


id t 


he eii 




(1 pattern is made by drawing a 


strip of 


l.laek skii 


11 tin 


•oii.i;- 


h slil 


S ill tl 


le white. Iv'oiiinl the top of the 


band Is 


sewe.l a 




iiij;- 


of Id; 


ark se 


alskiii, which holds a drawstring 


of sinew 


Inaid. '1 


riie s 


.ole 


is ke 


|.l 11]. i 


11 shape and the boot matle to fit 


ronndth 


e ankle b\ 


• a St 


riii.ii' 


olse 


alskiii 


twine passi^d through four- loops, 


one on < 

<pi:nter. 


Mfh side 
These 1 


Jnsl 
oops 


7 


•k ,.f 
mad 


the III 
e of li 


ill of the foot, and one on each 
ttle strips of white whale skin, 
of the sole on the outside. The 


ends,,! 


thestriM- 


are 




,sed t 


hroii-l 


1 the IVoiit loop so that the bight 



135 



foiiK's across the ball of rlii' 
are frossed above the heel, lar 
tied ill front. 

Such boots are mii\ .■rsally \ 
ill Slimmer. The men's boots 
usually left with an irrejiiilar < 
at the top, and are lield n\> b,v 
breeches, wliilethe women's usually 
liave white bauds around the tops 
Avith drawstriug.s. Half-boots of 
the same material, re,acliin.<;' to mid 
leg, without drawstrings, or shoes 
reaching Just abo\-e the ankle with 
a string round the top are some- 
times worn over the deerskin boots. 
Similar shoes of deerskin are some- 
times worn in jdace of boots. 

Wateri)roof boots of black seal 
skin are nniversally employed by 
Eskimo and by the Aleuts. These 
boots staiul water for a long time 
without getting wet thron.uh. but 
when they liecome wet they must 
be turned inside out and drie.l very 
slowly to ]uevent them from shrink 
ing, and worked soft with a stone 
skin-dressing tool or the teeth. Tl 
sun. When the black cpid.Tinis 

Avaterproof, so tliat the w en are ; 

which are nuMided wilh water ti,-hl 

Intheearly spring, before it thaw 



foot, then t 


In-ougi 


h the hind.T 


loops. 


lied ()nce o 


r twict 


■ aiound the 


ankle. 


ivoin 
are 




fr"' 


— %, 


edge 




m 





! 



# 



.< 



itives i)refer to dry them 




(xlges on the outside of th 
sealskin sole, as rei>reseiite( 



^ on the watch tor white spots, 

laws enough to render waterproof boots 
■<sar>'. the surface of the snow becomes 
smooth and slipjiery. To ena])le them- 
's to walk on this .surface with.ait tall- 
the natives uv.ikv a kind of -cn-eiier" 
.f stril)s of sealskin. These are doubled 
wise, and generally bent into a half- 
I „i hoiseshoe shape, with the folded 

rve. sewed on the to<. and 1 1 of the 

Fio-. SL'. 



PAliTS (IK OISKSS. 

liilfs (tapsi ].—T\u' belt which is used to hold up the pantaloons or 
breeches is simply a stout strip of skin tied rouuil the waist. Th<' gir- 
dle, which is always worn outside of tin- frock, except when the weather 
is warm or the wearer heated liy exercise, is very often a similai' strap 
of deerskiu, or perhajis wolfskin. Often, however, and esi)ecially for 



\:u 



|[K I'lUNT UAUKOW ESKIMO. 



hanilxmic licit woven tVoiii fcatlicrs, ami the 
■ re aiv in tlif I'l.jlcctioii two 



lull .ll<'S>. Ihf IM.'U 

wiiiiii-ii one made 111' miherines toe: 
of tlie Conner ami one oC Ilie latler. 
No. ,sil.-,41 [Hilt] (Fi-. S.HM lias b. 
Iiell. It is.Ti inches lonj; and 1 inc 
leallieis wown inio an ele-ant |ia 
.leerskin, and Icnninatin- in a Icat 
.strinj;- at the other. The loop is a tlat ]iieceof skin of the beard. 'd seal. 
in which is .-at a lai-e oblon- c.\ e. Tlie weavinj;' l)egins at the s.juare 

end or the loo].. Th.' wariM-.,nsisIs,,f e lonj; strands sewed through 

the inner lace ot tin- leallier so as to come out on tlie hinder edge. 
'I'l,^. ,|,i,|," • .' ■ of sioiif sinew bi;iid. endin.u iu a knot on the 



d, and made ot the shafts of 
,ordered on the elites with 
iliatone end and a, braided 








inner side olihe I.Mlhci-. 'the fonr on each side an- ot tine cotton 
twine or stonl thread, each Iwo bein- one .-ontinuous tliread iiassini;- 
thron;;h the leather and out a-ain. Tin' woot is the shafts ot small 
reather> n-,-nhiily woven, the tirst strand wo\en .,ver and under, end- 
ilifi- over the warp. I he hc\l nnder ami o\cr. endiu- nn<ler the warp, 

'■•ii'l ^^ Ilernately. each strand cvtcndini; about oncfouith in(di 

beyond the onlei' warpsli' 1 (,n <'a<'li side. This makes the pattern 

shown in Fi-. s,;/,. ;, i,,,,- stitch on each sid.', three v.'rv short ones 
on each side of tlic middle, and a sli^htlv loii-er (me in the mid- 
<lh-. The stri|)s .,r t.'athcrs fonniii- tlic woot are' not joined to-ether. 
but one .stri]) is woven in as tar as it will -o. ending alwavs on the 
innei- .side of the bell, a new strip be-in, nil- where' tli.> ot'lier ends. 
The shafts of black teatlu-rs. will, a tew of the barbs attached, are 



woven into tin- woof at tol.Mal.ly ifyular intervals. Earii black sdand 
starts under the first strand of tlie warp, nialdnu' tlie outer and inner 
of tlie three short stitidics on each side l.laek. This i)roduces a < heck.'rf.l 
pattern ahnig the nii(hllr of the belt (see enhir.u'ed section, Im.u'. s:;I>}. 
The woof strands are driven home ti-htly and their .mkIs are secured 
ou each side by a dotdilc thri'ad of cotton sewed into tlie corner of the 

leather looj). One thicad runs aloii- tl ut- 

sideoftlie belt and tl ther alon- the insi(h', 

liassiny between the ends of the feathers about 
every ten feathers and makinj; a turn round 
the outer thread, as in Fi-. .S4. The edo-es of '■"',t,i'!!;r°/"1Cnh!'r;"f 
the belt are trinnned off even and bound with ^n.^'nt^v^tiintMnTu. 
a uarrow strip of deeiskin with the tlesh siile out ami painted icd. 
Thebinding- of the upper ed-e makes an irri-nlar loose linin^dii the 
insi(h' of the belt. A<-russ the end of the belt is sewed ou each side a 
alskin. and the ends ,)f the warp are -athered into 
^ed to fasten the belt bv 



narrow strip 

a three-iily braid Ki im-hes Ion;;, which is 

■ " ' Iknottin-it. An ancient boiH' spear- 

n amulet liy a stout strap. 

precisely the same way. 
a different i.attern. The 



.it 
head is attached to 
No. .S!tr>i.{ [lAL'O] 
but with the black 
weavinjj- is done b; 
deseribeil under im 



[■It w 

•odn< 




^'^■v^/vf ^'^l/i'.f*,), /^^/Hr'iU|^.,« ' 



The women nc\ei weal ai 



foot ot the wohell 
the on.' at the em 
.strilis the bit ol s|. 



11 to the I'oiiit I'.aiiow leuH.ii. Indeed, 
worn o\ei the |acket h\ the n in the 

hinu.A.'cpt a simple stiipot skni or the 
,\e \"c,. sT,!.' |1 1L'1|. Fl-;. s."., is <me of 
psot daik blown skin bom louiid the 
.^ctliel end to end. IvK'll stlip, except 

Ihe.-laws IS piece.l iii) so that tlieie are 



Wlllllfll. 


SKTIS 
-.•Idol 


|1(».V,|. 
11 ifcv 


KC^ 


si,i;i:'. 


'■'1 lu! 




l.cit !'( 


11- the 


Fi(i. (iC.-Belt-la.si- 


ll.'utl.N 


■ lii^l.i.' 


■•ncr. 


use. 




OniinnrDty.- 


-In ;h1i 


litioii 



];^S Tin: I'HINT HAK'KOW ESKIMO. 

.■if;lit nearly (•(iiiiilistaiii .-laws iiiakin.;;- a fnn.uc loniid tli.- lower .'ajre 
ol^ihe belt." There is a iiole at ca.-li <'1mI into whicli is lialf-liitehed the 
i-inl of a narrow striji of deciskiii alioiit S iiii'hes lonj;-. These string's 
serve to tie the uinile. This hell is :;:', inehes long" and U iuehe.s wide, 
an<l has been worn so long- t hat t lie inside is very dirty. Such belts 
ail' verv \alnal)le and highl\- prized, and are worn exclusively by tlie 

(bjeet which is quire uueoiiinioii and 
■ seen in use. It is of wah'U.s ivory, 
V. it served as a belt fa.steuer (tAp- 
1 :i brass clock wheel used i)U a girl's 
imrpose. This spc-inicn is very old, 
polished smooth, iirobably from Fong 

Irininiiiigs abo\'e di'scribed there are 
et'rtain ornanicntal ap]iciHlagcs which bi-long to the dress, but can not 
be considered as essential parts of an.\- garnicnts. like the trimmings. 
Vor instance. iiearl\' every male in the two \illagcs wears dangling from 
his back between the shoulders an i-rmine skin either brown or white, 
or an eagle's feather, which is t ranslerred to the new gaiiiH-iit when the old 
one is worn out. This is iicrhaps an amulet as well as an ornament, as 1 )r. 
Sinii)son states.' .\n eagle's feather is otteu woiii on the outside of the 
ho.Hl,iHMidanl from the ciowii of tlie head. Attached to the belt are vari- 
ous amulets (to be described niider the head of •• lleligion") and at the 
back alwa\s the tail of an animal, iisimllv a wolverine's. Very seldom 
a wolf's tail is worn, hnt neail.\- all. e\-eii the boys, have wolverine 
tails, which are always sa\cd for lliis pur|iose and us('d for no other. 

This habit among the flski f west, •in America of w.'aring a tail at 

the girdle has beei I iced by many tia veh^is. and prevails at lea.st as 

far as the Anderson Kncr. since I'etilot.- in describing the dress of the ■ 
Ander.son River -cliicf.' says: •■ par derriere il ])ortait aux reins une 
(ineue epai.sse el oinloNante de reuard uoir." According to hiniMtis 
the »'((weH,ofthal icgion. wlio wear, "a titre de talismans, des defi'oqnes 
ompaill6es de corbean. de faucon, ou d'hermine." The custom of wear- 
ing an ermine skin on the jacket was observed by Dr. Armstrong of the 
hnuslifintornX Cape liathnrst.^ 

i'r;i;s()NAL adhknmknt. 



7><//o«u,f/._Tlie custom of tattooing is almost universal among the 
women, but the marks are cmlined almost exclusively to the chin and 
form u very simple pattern. This consists of one, three, five, or perhaps as 

'Op.cil., p.^.M:,. :,Il,i,|. 



ATTOOIXC. 






139 


■om thr mill. 


■r li|) 111 till' ti| 


, of thri 


rliill. 


aic liKiir II 


lian on.'. \Vh. 


■11 Ihriv 


is a 


■I-. it is <;i-lli' 


rally Winail, an. 


i the hi: 


iililh- 


11 thr ..tll.TS 


;. Thf w..ini-ii 


as a mil 


■ arc 


a iiuuTia.^ral 


)li' a-.', thim-h 


(lu'iv w 


.•re a. 


i-cs wli.i iia 


(1 a siii<;li/ lilif 


on Iho 


rhili. 


allied Wdiii; 


III ill I'ithiT \'ill 


a-v will 


. was 



.list 



many as seven vertical lines 

slightly railiatiui;' when tliei 

single line, which is rather r; 

line is sonietinies broader tin 

not tattooed nntil they reach 

few little girls in the two vil 

I reineiiiber seeing but one i 

nut tattooed, and she ha.l come fr 

Hope, as well as we could understand. 

Tattooing on a man is a mark of distinction. Those in. mi who an-, .>r 
have been, captains of whaling umiaks that have taken wlial.'s have 
marks to indicate this tattooed somewher.' ..ii their persons, s..ai.'liiiies 
forming a definite tally. For iustanc.'. .Vnorii had a bioail band across 
eachclieek from the corners of the mouth (Fig. ST. iVoin a sketch by the 
■writer), made up of many indistinct lines, which was said lo indicate 
"many whales." Amaiyuna had the ••tbikcs" .it' scv.'ii whal.'s in a lin.- 
across his che.st. and .Mu'uialu ha.l a c.mple .if small marks .m .m.- tbr.-- 
arm. NiaksAra, the wife of Ailorn. als.i ha.l a little mark tatt.i.i.'.l in 

each corner of her mouth, which sh.' sai.l w.-re 

"whale mark.s," indicating that sh.' was rh.' wilV 

Such marks, a.'.'ord- 

..'t.-.. |). \v)aiv a part 

Ma.'k.ai/ie .listri.'t— 

■s.l.^la b.mchc." One 

I narr.iw line 



of a successful whaleman 
ing to Petitot (Monograph 
of the usual pattern in tl 
"deux traits aux commissn 
or two men at Nuw fd< ha.l 




—Ma 



across the face, over the bii.lge of the misc. wlii.'h """'" 

were jirobably also •• wliah- marks." though we never .'oiild ffet a d.'tiiiite 

answer concerning them.' 

The tattooing is ih.nc with a iiee.llc ami thr.'a.l. smcar.'il with soot or 
guni)Owder, giving a peculiar ]iitted ap|i.'aran.-e to the liii.'s. It is 
rather a painful oi)eration, i)r.)du.in.u consi.l.Mablc intianimation and 
swelling, which lasts .several days. Tii.' pra.'ti.e of tatt....iiig the 
women is almost universal among the Eskim.), from (xrcHMilaud to 
Kadiak. iuclu.ling the Ivskimo of Siberia, the only exception being the 



' Comiiarc tlie custom ob^^^■^Vl■ 
Clure (Discovery of the NortliH 
his face over tlie l,ri.lKe of the i 
lino tattooed from ih.- iiui.r :...- 
hestrikes. I'.hlHl l...u■.^.I.\ 

lis that ho hart kiUe.l .-i M,,,n 
kun uurttagdsvis tutov. r. u. ^ 
kunno harpunero gortt ' Hh^l 
only make a pennauent iii.ii k 
whale, etc.;'* and Parry, -i\ Vo 
on the back of the hand, as a at 



iMc 



, i„ .;;„ ,rlH..i '- . ..I'V whalo 

,,,.,,„« I, ,, I,, .n, ,r,„vd"hy 
,;,. „"-■ uiiii .1 r,,i,|,lr.,fhori- 

,l,,l,r,l ■ ,„. 11 .,1 Naivilktold 

1,,,,. Arme og Uaaudlcd, for at 
„,I,.r, Tents, etc., p. :i7. •■Men 
IS kiUing a hear, capturing a 
U'lulik are ai 






t .some distant or ii 



140 



li.Ui'lJoW 



-KIMO 




iiiitivcsof Siiiilli Sdiiiid. I1m)Ii;;1i tin- ciistoiii is tiilliiig' into disuse miuoiij;- 
till- Kskiiiio wiio have Tuiicii intcrciimsc with tiio whites.' 

Tlie siiii])h- pattern of straij;iit. slightly diveising lines on the ehiii 
seems to prevail from tiie Mackenzie distiiet to Kadiak, and similar 
i-hin lines appear always to form part of the more eht- 
horate i)atterns, sometimes extending to the arms and 

Kski and tliose.if Siheiia. St. i.awrenee Island, ami 

llie Diomedes. 

wi'hor!iiniir7i"ur.' ''"is'- •^•'^' <•""" ■' ^^l^''"'!' made on the spot l.y the writer, 
n,':;.' ' ' " ' sliows tlic I'oiiil Harrow i)attern. 

hiiiitini/.—Oii great oeeasions, stu-li as dances, etc.. or when going 
whaling, the face is marked with a broad stri'ak ot black lead, itiit on 
with the finger, and usually lunning obli(piely a<adss the nose or one 
eheek.^ Cliildren. wIi.mi ilresseil up in new clothes, :iie also freqiieutly 
marked in this way. This may be .-oniiiarcd with the aiu'ient en.stom 
among the |)eople of Kadiak of |.ainting their fac<-s -before festivities 
or games and before any important undertaking, siu-h as the crossing 



Mrtli,„h,/>i;,iriii;ill,rhah:—' 
down straight o\ei- tin- forehea 
hanging in rather long locks oi 
is always a small circular tonsr 
is generally cli|)|)cd down to tli 
I ht h h Ml 1 
I n t tl I I I I I I 
111 I |l Ml M 1 I 



(1 boys wear their hair combed 
)ir s(pnir<' across in froTit, but 
so as to cover the ears. There 
I'own of the head, and a strip 
the neck. (See Fig. SO, from 
t I 1 \ tl It tl 111 

llll ll s 1, t I 

1 lltlll IltthLOU 1 llll^l 

I 1 lu ol I 13S ilrea<i 



i Is ol 8 p 8« 



Mi-|"""n I UAIR-DRESSINC. 1 \\ 

totisuic i[{U' piiiteur iios 'Pcliiulir a ikpui l>uf, ni'imt-ilrs dil, dc pcriucnic 
au soloil (U' it'chautt'iT Iciir I'cvvcaii ci ilc tiaiisniftrif pai' re inovi-u 
sabieiifaisaiitf chalcui- a Iciir ((inn- pom- Ics fairc vivrc."' Soriii> ol' the 
Xuiiatarmiiim and one man froiii Ivilauwitaiwifi that we saw \\<iii' llicii- 

front liair long, parted in the niiddh-. and ifincd by a naiiow liUci 

ot h-ather round tlic hvow. The hair on the tonsnrc is not always 
kept clipped very elo.sc, but .sometimes aiiowid to groM as anuii as an 
iiu'h long, which probably led Hooper to l)i'hc\c that tlic tonsure was 
uot common at Point liairow.- It is uni\irsal at tlic jnfsciit day, as 

it was in Br. 8inipson's time' The ucstcrn Ivski gcnnally la-oji 

or shave th<^ crown of the iicad. while liiose of the cast aMow their iiair 
togrow])retty long. sometimes clipping it on tiie forehead. 'I'lic pi-actice 
of clipping the crown apjMMrs t.. be gencial in the MackiMizie district,' 
ami was occasionally observed at Iglulik l.y ('apt. TariN iL'd \'oy., li. 4!i:?). 
The natives of St. Lawience Island and the Siberian coast carry tins 
custom to an extreme, diiniing the whole ladwn. so as to leave only a, 
fringe round the iicad.' The w.mien dress th.'ii 
hair in the fashi ■> n to all the Kskinio ex- 
cept th<' (Ircenlanders and the i>coplc alx.ut the 
Mackenzie ami .Vnders,m Rivers, where the wonuMi ^%^ .l:a|!i|j|fif 

bring the hair up fr hehind into a sort of high / ^^^^wW p 

top-kiiot, with the addition in the latter district of ^:;-.;.: , _%|^ ^ 
large bows or pigtails on the sidcs.'^ The hair is ^^"^*':"^ *"-' - '■ 
parted in the middle from the forehead to IIh' nape 
of the neck, and gathered into a einli on each si.lc ' "' «' M;,.,^, ,,„ ii„„i „r 
behind thecal-. The cluliis cil h.-r simply hraidcd "-""^""i— 

or will t further dressing twisted ami lengthened out with stri])s of 

leather, and w .1 spirally for its whole length with a long string of 

small beads of various .-olors. a large tlaf brass button being stuck into 
the hair above each .dub. The wife ol' the cajitain of a whaling umiak 
wears a strip of wolfskin in |.lac«' of the string of beads when the boat 
is '-in c(»mniission" (as ('apt. Ilcrendecn observed). 

Some „\' the little girls wear tlieii- hair cut short behind. The hair is 
not arratiged every day. ISotli sexes ate rather tid.\ about arranging 
their hair, but there is much dilb'icncc in this between imlividuals. 
The marrow of the reindeer is s<inietinies used Ibr ixiinatum. Kaldiiess 



'■Sit Iv.iM.', Jil Ciiriiirll i:\p \I.ii[\ iUii~ir.iT - |..i^siiij Sniilli Si.iiii,!; Egeilc p. ri'J, ami Crantz, 

landi' FrobiaUer, in Huki.iM. \,.x.,^,.. , tr ii:.,<:ii ,, iiL'7, i;..irn, r.in.l C;,iiv, M Voy., p. 494, and 

Lyon, Journal, p. 2:!0, iKlnlik. IMil..t, MMi,..-r:,i.ln. . l, , ,, \mn \l.„k..,/.r.li,(ri.l; noopcr. Tents, 

etc., pp. 257, Icy Reef, an.l :a7. Nriitlaiiil 1.1 , Fiankliii. -'.1 Ks|. |. Il'i. Cmt Siliii.e; Dall, Alaska. 

KrausB lirm., (ie.if^rapliiM.li.- I!latl,-i. v..l. r.. pi. 1, p. :<. 



MICH 


was 


v.-iy old. 


//, 


■wlhn 


.,„/.v.-_S.)nif 


St till 


iX'>i' 


lai-v blur ii 


skill. 


, ()!•: 


casioiially, a 


Ill' :i 


I..X .. 


!■ a «l..j;-. witi 


Sii.-li 


1 hcai 


il-dicss.^s ai 


pii/. 
of a 


.-iiiiih 


tiicy were i 
11- h'ca.l.hrs 


..r til 


I.' skii 


11 (if the foi-c 


iiiarr 


llnt>. 


V.-iy iiflri 


stl'lM 




Uiiitlicr styl 


is \v( 


ini oi 


Illy Nvlini u 


si.rii: 
jiii/.i 


•d. an 


i-liaiatniy 1, 
1(1 is. pcilia 


Non. 


■ well 


!• ever (itfcn 


tiiiiit 


ics <> 


f scciiif;- it. 


skin. 


with 


pciMlarits 1 



i: I'OINT B.VKKOW ESKIMO. 

(Ill Hill rciiiciiilicr cverstH-iiij;- a bald woman, aud 
aid iiifii at tlic twd villa},'es. Neither of these 

if ihc iiicii and li(i>s wear across the forehetul a 
ass heads, sduicliincs sewed on a strip of deer- 
^11 a lillel is wiirii made id' the skin of the head 
llic iKise ciiiiiiiii;- ill the iiii(hlle of the forehead. 
Ii\ no iiieaiis coiiiiiKiii and seem to be highly 
■vcr (ilVered fur sale. :MacFarlaiie (MS.) speaks 
\Miiii ai the .Viidersdii Ri\er, ■' f;ciierally made 
lait (if the head skins of wolves, wolverines, and 
however, a stiiii- of beads is made use of in- 
of head-dress is the bad-e of a whaleman, and 
aliiii;- (and, I belicNc. at the ceremonies in the 
the whalin.U). This seems to be very highly 
IS. ■•looked iiiioii with superstitions regard."^ 
1 for sale and we had oidy two or three oppor- 
It coiisisis of a broad fillet of mountain-sheep 
Hint, jaspei. or crystal, rudely flaked into the 
shape of a whale i ^ee iiiider ••Aiuiilets." where siiecinieus are described 
anil liuureil). one in llie middle of the bidw and one over each ear. 

Sol f tiieni are also fringed with the incisor teeth of the mountain 

sliecp attached by means of a small hole drilled through the end of the 
root, as on the daiuang cap (see under "Games and Pastimes"). The cap- 
tain and liarpooner of a whaling crew which I saw starting out in the 
spring of lS8li each wore one of these fillets. The harpooner's had 
only (lie whale iicndants, but the captain's was also fringed with teeth. 
This ornament closely rescmbh-s the fillet fringed with deer's teeth, 
observed by ("apt. I'any at Iglulik,-' which "was understood to be 
worn on the head b\ men, though we did not learn on what occasions." 
Eaniiu/K (;««/(*/»).— Ncaily all the women and girls jierforate the 
lobes of the ears and wear earrings. The commonest jiattern is a little 
hook of ivory to which arc attached pendants, short strings of beads, 
etc. Large, oblong, dark-blue beads and bugles are specially desired 
lor this |)uriK)se. ('Iiea|i brass or " brumnuigem " earrings are some- 
times worn nowada.N s. The fashion in earrings seems to hav'e changed 
.somewiiat since Dr. Simpson's time, as I do not remember ever having 
seen the long strings of liead.s hanging across the breast or looped up 
iH'iiind as he describes ihem.' At present, one earring is much more 
tre(pienfly worn than a pair. There are in the collection two pairs of 
tiic ivory liooks for earrings, which, though made for sale, are of the 
ordinary pattern. Of these No. S'.I.JS? [l.UOj (Fig. !•()) will .serve as 
the tyi.e. They are of coarse, white walrus ivory. ' 



1 Broilbock. •• Naeli Osten " (p. 23). Speaking of ■■ ein 
pa llmi'ii als eini! Art von Zatiberscbutzmittel, denn 



Xo. SiCWti [1340] is ;i similar pair nf cai-rin-s, in wUu-U tlir li,., 
jects at right augles aud terminates in a tlal. rmind liuiton. I'.otI 
speeiineusareof theusiialpatteru,l)nt \ crN' rdiiuiilx mailc I'liccu: 
wearing earrings is very general among tlic Ivskinm. 1 nccil <>iil 
to the (leserii)ti(.ns ot dicss anil ornaments already (iin.trd. 

Lnhtet.s.—A!^ has been stated by all travelers who iiave \ isite, 
Barrow .sinee the time ot Klson, all the adnlt males wear I lie 
or stml-shaped lip ornaments. The disenssion of the origin and 
of this Iiahit, or even a eomparison of the forms of lalnets in use 

the Eskinni, wonld lead me far beyond the seoj f the |ireseni 

They are or have been worn by all the Kskinio of western A 

inelndiug St. Lawrence Island and the lHoim>des. from the mosi 

em point of their range to the INIaekenzie and Amh-rson distri 

w«'re also worn Ity Alents in aneient tinu's.- I<;ast of the Slacken 

triet no traces of the habit are to be observed. I'etitot^ says tin 

JSathnrst is the most eastern i>oint at 

which labrets are wcmi. The enstom ot 

wearing them at this place is jierhaiis 

recent, as Dr. Armstrong, of the furr.sti 

Ijator, expressly states that lie saw none 

"there in 1850. At I'lover l!ay. eastern 

Siberia, however. I notieeil oni' or two 

men with a little cross „v circh' tatt.ied 

nnder each coiner of the month. Jnst in 

the position ot the labret. This ma\ be a 

reminisceni'c ot an ancient habit of wear 

ing labrets, or nia\ ha\(' been done in imi 

tationofthe peoph'ofthe hiomedesand 

the American coast. fiu. ii(i.-EaTrinL;s, 

labrets, .nu' at each corner of the month, thongh one <>v b..th o 
are fre(|iiently left ont. They told ns. however, that in ancient 

the middle. Certain old ami large-sized labrets in the c..llect ion a 
to have been Ilins worn. The incisions for the lal)rets apjiear to b 
about theageof i>Mberty, thongh I knew mw young man who ha. 
married tor some months betbre he had the o]ieratiou i)erfornHd. 
the young man's character. I fancy shyness or timidity, as sngge: 

Dr. Simpson." had s cthing to do with the d.day. Contrary 

Simpson's exixaience. I did not see a single man above the age e 
1!» who did not wear the labrets. It seems hardly probable that 



Otih' 

refe 
I'oin 



^onth 
t. ami 



tCap 



saio 
na.le 



to l>r. 
f IcS or 
ability 



j;hl,v trL-ati-il by Mr. W. H. P:i 

lor 1881-'82, pp.67-2o;i. 

, p. 87. .111(1 thn p:iper just ri-l.i 



144 

t.. takr M sr 



INT I'.AliKOW ESKIJK 



, as he su.uiiosts. We kiK'w 
Imntcis anil even al.h- to 
n-iMl niKl.T tlif ao-o of U or 

cached inanh 1. The iii- 

lit a Hat hcailcd ],iii ol' wal- 



iiij;- aj^aiiist the .uiiiii. These are soon replai 
liair. and tliese ai;ain l.y slouter ones, until tl 
diani.-KTotabonI one lialf ineli. wUvu they ai 
\V.. lieard of no special eeivmoni.'s or test 
niakin.i;- of tliese ineisions. sin-li as hall ol)sei\ 






ed hy a sli-htly stouter 
(■ liol.'s are stretched to a 
e ready for the labn-ts. 
ivals eoiineeted with the 
ed at Noiton Sound.' hut 



in the one case « iu're the operation wa> perfornuMl at th.- villa-e of 
I'tUiavwin dni-in- oni- stay. \\ e learned that it was (hnie hy a man out- 
side <,f the family of they<.ntii operated upon. \Vc w.-re also inthrmed 
thai tlie incisions must he made with a little lancet of slate. Tjie em- 
|>loyinenl of an imi.lement of ain'ient form and ohsoh'te material for this 
iHUpose indicates, as Dall says in the passa.ue referred to above, "some 




Th.' collection contains two specimens of such lancets. No. .S!)7l.'] 
fll.V!] ((iji-nr.Ml in llcpl. Point Harrow ICxiieditlon. l^tlin.dogy, Tl. X, 
Fi^-. li is the type. A little hladeof sott liiay slate is caiefnlly iii.dosed 
>c of c(.t ton wood. Thi' hlade is laiieeolate, 
.n-. (h; l,r,,ad. and (H thick, with a short, 
i hidail Ian-. The faces are somewhat rou,';h, ami i;rouild 

I with a hroad hi^vel to very shai-ji cuttin.i;- edj;es. The 

'* ■••■- is made of two similar pieces of w 1, tlaf on one 

and I'onndcd on the other, so tliat ulo'ii put tooether 
make a i.mnded h.idy :; inch.'s l,,n-. sliohtly tlat- 
d. and taperin- toward the rounded ends, <,f whicli 
ri.i. or-PluK f„v <'"<■ is somewhat lar-ca- than the other. Kound eacli 
.■Ml;,rKi..s laimn ,.,„, i^ ,, „.,,,,„,, ,|,.,.|, ||„,isvers,. -roove thr a stiiu- t.i 
hold the two,, arts t, .-ether. .\ shallow median -roove 
eonnects these cross .urooves on one pice,., which is hoHowed out on the 
flat face into a toukIi cavity of a shape ami size suitable to receive the 
Idade. wiii.-h ispr<iiinced into a narrow . .leep -roove at the point, ]iroh 
ably to kee|, the pnint (,f tin- hlade from heinu dulled hv toucliiui;- the 
wood. The ,,th<T ],iecc. uidch serves as a ever, has m.-rely a rouoh. 
shallow, oval dc]n-essi.m near the middle. The whole is evideutiv very 
ol,l. and the case is browned with a-e ami dirt. 

No. S!t.-,T!l|Ii.(l((| is a similar hla.l,. of , eddish ),urpl.- slate, mounted 
ill a rou-h halt of bone. I'io, ;)]. N,,. S!iTi,-, |lL>]lj. is one of a pair of 

lii'Hl'ds. made for sal.'. ,,t ih.' ivoiy plu-s ns.'.l (hr enlargiu- the 

holes for 111.- hibrets, .•orr.'s|,..n,lin,- in si/.' 1,, almut th.' s.'cond pair used, 
fa .'.larse pain.'.l .'ompacf hoiu-. and closely 



It is roufrhly whittle 





145 


1 Sound,' hill liic 


ks Uw 


icli is not used at 


I'oiut 


■ plugs Wlicll Wf 1 


hmdcd 


likr the tipoCa, 


walrus 


lsks.,f ii youu.i; 


ualrus 


hilncts woiii ;it 


- I'oiut 


rtcins. Oiicisii 


lar.ire, 


with a tiat stud 


oil the 


iiid til.' otli.T a 


thick 



airuDocH.) LAlSI-iETS. 

resembles the i)lu;^s li-ured l,y Dull tVoiu Xoi 

hole in the tip for the transverse wooden peg. 

Barrow. Oue youth was weaiin.u the linal siz 

at the tstatlou. These were luoimht to a poii 

tusk, and had exactly the appearance ol ihi 

when they first protrude beyond the li]i. ' 

Barrow at the present day aie usually <ptt\\<i 

flat, circular disk about \.\ inclies in dianiet 

back something like that of a sleevebutto 

cyliudrieal plug about 1 inch long, and one-half inch in diameter, with the 

protruded end rounded and the other e\paiide(l into au oblong tlange, 

presenting a slightly c-urv<'<l surface to tin' gum. These idug labrets 

are the common fashion for everyday wear, and at the present day, 

as in Dr. Simpson's time, arc almost w itlioiit exception made of stone. 

Granite or syenit<?, i)or])hyry. white marltle, and sometimes coal (rarely 

jade) are used for this ]iui]>osc. 

One of the Xuruitahmiiin wore a glass cruet-stoiiper for a laliret. and 
niaHy natives of rtkia\wiu took the glass stopples of Worcestersliire 
.sauee bottles, which weic thrown away at the station, and inserted them 
in the labict holes for everyday wear, sometimes grinding the round 
to], into an olilong stud. There is one s]iccimen of the plug labret 
in the collection, l.abrets of all kinds are very highly prized, and it 
was almost im])ossible to obtain them.' Though we repeatedly asked 
for them and i)romised to pay a good juice, genuine labrets that had 
been worn or that were intended for actual use were very rarely ottered 
for sale, though at one time a huge number of roughly made models or 
imitations weie lirought in. The single specimen of the jilug laliret 
(tu'tu) is No. 81)700 [lI(i.'5J (figured in Point Harrow Report. Kthiiology, 
PI. V, Fi}?. ;{). It is a cylindrical plug of hard, bright green stone 
(jadeor hyiiochloritc). 1-1 in.hes long and d-d in diameter at the outer 
«nd, which is rouiide<l olf, tapering slightly inward 
and expanded at the base into an .-llipticai disk !•- 
inches long and 0-!» broad, slightly concave on the 
surlace which rests against the teeth and gum. The ^'■: ^ 

sjiecimeii is old and of a material \ery unusual at 
Point r.airow. Fig. !I2, No. S!)71!> [IKidj. from Nu- 
wuk, may also be called a ping labret. but is of a 
very unusual pattein. and said to lie wvy old. It ^^^ 
has an oblong stud of walrus ixmy siirmoiinfcd b. 
a large, trans])arent, slightly greenish glass bead, I'w '•-' -lai.i.i ..t i,.a,is 
on toj) of which is a small, translucent, sky-blue 

bead. The beads are held on by a short w leii jicg. running through 

the perforations of the beads and a h<ile drilled through the ivory. 
There is a somewiiat similar labret in the Museum collection (No. 4S2&2) 

' Aluska, p. nil. 

2Tho men whom Thomua Simps.. n i.i.'l at ..r M.-:ir IJait.-r Islan.l s..l,l their labreta, bill .1 .u.l.'.l a 

hatchet or a iliigf^tT for .1 p.air i.f ltn;tii (Narraliv.-. p. 111)). 
9 KTII 10 




I4t; 1 

froinCaiK" Piiiui' of 
obloiijj lihu' head. 

I Maw Imt one otlic 
goodsizt'il oval liliic 
was vdiii by a man I 
men fnun tlic MacUfi 
are. attaclied in the s: 
fulldivss o.-casidiis. 
one pliii; lalirct arc I' 
soinctiMifs III' syciiilf ' 
of white iMarl)ie, and 
the ceuter of tlie disli 
Simpson's time, and 
si)ecimen. 

1 obtained one paii 
Point r.aiTow iieiit.. 
disk(l-Tan(l l-flinelie 
blaek and while syeii 
baekofeaehisan ell 
M inches long and (I 

Fiji-, m. Xo. 2()S;5, i 
the Anderson Uiver 
Point l>airow. which 
white marble. 1.^ incl 



in; IMUNT UAliKOW ESKIMO. 

Wales, also \eiy old. It is surmounted by a single 



'I mad 

iiwnk. 
strict, 
ay. T 
n when 

Itlv \V( 



ite. uro 
iptieal 
•Sand 1 




FlCi. W.-BIuc and w 


Iiil, 


■hii 


.nl 


1,,.,,, 


blue and while 


la 




■Is 


app 


Kaniaj;- pcninsi 
MO of Dall's A 


ila 
la- 


. i 
<ka 


ncl 

). 


liidii 
Th 


Anderson Rivei 




ini 


1 f 


roiii 


saw them worn 


\,\ 


, tl 


he 


Nui 


Harrow and \Va 


in 


\vr 


igli 


It hi 


sold by the Aim 


I'li 


cai 


11 t 


laih 


as Kotzelnu!, in 


IS 


k;. 


, to 


mid 


wearing labrets 
.set on these Idii 


„■■' 


be: 


Id" 


lain- 


Simii.son,' as w( 


■11 


L„ 


b.N 

(Si-( 


l)r, 


fDinlispiii-.ollhis vol 
'■J<1 Ei].., ].. 118. 
■Narralivc p. 119. 


1 


■ also 



!■ of whole beads, and this had three 
•luster, projecting from the hole. It 
This may be compared with a .speci- 
Xo. 7714, to which two .similar beads 
lie disk labret is the jiattern worn on 
working or hunting. One disk and 
111. Disk labrets are made of stone, 
•. lint the most lashioiiable kindismade 
la largi', bine glass bead cemented on 
re as liiglil,\' |irizeil as they were in Dr. 
iciitly did not succeed ill iirocuring a 

disk labrets. No. .jCTlO [197] (figured in 
. I'l. V. Fig. 1'). Each is a tiat circular 
■1. respectively) of rather coarse-grained 
very smooth, but not i.olishcd. On the 
1. like that of a sleeve button. 1-2 and 
ii,,a<l. respectively. 

■lilac and white disks said to come from 
introduced to represent those worn at 
ame pattern. The disk is of 
the center of it is cemented, 
apparently with oil dregs, 
half of a transparent blue 
glass bead, three-quarters of 
an inch in diameter, around 
the middle of which is cut a 
shallow groove. Similar mar- 
ble disks without the bead 
iiiv.T .|,.,. sometimes worn. These 
ic worn from Cape Bathurst to the 
Dioiiiedc Islands (see figure on p. 
sjiecimens in the Mu.seum fi-om the 
nth shore of Norton Sound and we 
inn, as well as the natives of Point 
he beads, which are larger than tho.se 
(' undoubtedly obtained from Siberia, 
pli'iif thesound which bears his name 
I bine glass beads."' The high value 
heen mentioned by Franklin^ and T. 
on.' The last named seems to be the 

■ s.niif ji. lit. -Ill as the one dfycribed are figured in the 



isely the 
?ter, and 



;l-cci 


1 tl 


■aiislii.MMi 


I.ia.l... 


hi.uhly 


SKTi 


II.") 


[sik;] (Hy-, 


ircd ill 


Point 


liiln 


.1,1. 


,Il.!i- disk < 


)f li.uht 


.uri'cti. 


-. 1- 


1 w 


i.le ill th. 


r iiil<i<ll 


v. an.l 


•li.uli 


fly 


C.IIIVCX. 


On IJK 


,■ l.a.-k 


lltl.V 

1 not 
ind ; 


iill 


rv.'.l U, li 
fill to he 
ch.-s lou- 


coniUKi 
anil 1.', 


\Nill...' 


1 tlic 


M 


iisciim 1)1 


■on-lit 'l 


ii.v .Mr. 


ilar 


Dili 


' lias vc.M 


-ntl.v h. 


i-fii re- 


>; a 


JMl. 


r..t nf sil 


Hilar si 


lape. 3 


litU 


'!'■' 


.t Im.IK'. 


ratli.T 


neatly 



€■""■"" "\"y 



MCKDocB.j i.AHty-;Ts. 

first to recognizt' that tin' disks were m; 

writers .speak of tlu-ni as made of walins i 
There are still at Point {'.arrow a few lali 

such as are said to ha\c I.i'imi worn in the 

very rarely put on, Imt arc ottcn larricd 1 

amulets. All that w.- saw wnv of liglir - 

polished. I obtained one spiTinicn. No. 

Barrow Kept., Ethnolo<.y. I'l. v. Fii;. 1 ,. a t 

translucent, polished jade I'-ti inclits loni 

0-8 wide at the eud.s, with the outer face s 

i.s an oblong stud with rounded ends, slig 
Labrets of this material and pattern do 

where. Beechey saw one In Ivotzebue 8oii 

and there is a large and handsome one in 

NeLson from the lower Yukon. A simi 

ceived from Kotzebue Sound. 

Fig. 94, No. 80712 [lli:')!. f,,.,,, .^idarn i 

inches long and lA bioad.l.nt made <.! 

carved and ground 

.smooth. It shows 

some signs of having 

been worn. There 

are marks out lie stnd 

where it api.ears to 

lia\e been inbl.ed "" '"' '"■■.■- i-.'-t „n,one. 

ag.uiist the teetli.and it i- |.iol)<il)l\ genuine. The purclia.se of this 

specimen api 'nth --t.nicd the nianntai tine of bone labrets at ['tki- 

avw in, where no 1 c i.il.i . t -. old oi new.li.id |.rcvionsl\ been seen. 

p^ir several da\- .illei ucLoii-lit tli. -pe< ini. n from Sidarn tire natives 

<-ontiliued tol.i'ii_ o\M ii. iM 1 I . Ill alls,, newlyandelmnsilymade 

ill. it we declined to imrchase 
iii_\ more than four s|)eciiiiens. 
Vbotil the same time they began 
to make oblong labrets out of 
soapstone (a material wliieli we 
never .saw used for genuine la- 
Fw '.s-oi.t,.,,,!,!,,,!,,! -,Mi-f.»- brets), like Fig. 93, No. .s!»7(l7 

[1215]. The imrchase of three specimens of tlic.se started a whole- 
sale manufacture of them, and we stopped purchasing. 
The oblong labret api.cais to have been still iufashiim as late as ISL'ii, 

for Elson saw many of the men at Point Barrow weariug <.blong labrets 

of bone (//. No. 89711! [Uti!»| and stone, 3 inches long and 1 broad." I'n- 

fortuiiateiy, he does not specify whether they were worn in pairs or 

i v-.,v,.«- „ lis 'Beeclie.vs V.iy.. p.:iii8. 




sill!. 



\T HAKKdW E.SKIMO. 

(I lie niitiir:il IVdiii their size and nhA])< 



whetlier in the iiiKhile iil llie \i\> or ;il .me side, 

X,.s. ,S'.»;}0.1 |lTi;i|. •^'•'THi I H'lL'l. niMJ SKTIT |l(i;il | ( Fi- fl(i) are very old 

lalMvts, which are iiiicMvsl in-' IV tiieir reseiiil.hiiiee to the aucieut 

Ah-ntiaii single lal.rels IouihI by l>all in the cave on Aiiiakuak Maud.' 
Nil. s(t;!()4 [171-">! i^:lllellilllil■lll |.lii.ii- orbitnaiiiioiis coal, with a projectliig- 
liaii"e round tlie liasi'. which is sii.ulitly concave to lit the curve of the 
jaw. This lahrel is \cry ohi and was said to ha\-e been f(umd in one of 
"the ruined houses in I'li^iavwih. Tlie other two labrets are of walrus 
ivory and of .similar slKipe. but liav.' the tian.ize only at the ends of the 
base. All of these three are lari^v. Ilu' lar-est b<'in- 2-2 inches wide and 






0-7 thi<'k. and tlu' suiallest l-.'i by (••.">. .so that they re(|uired a much larger 
incision in the h|< llnni is at iiicsent made. In connection witli what 
ha.s been said ofllu^ an<'ient habit of wearin.t;- labrets in tlie middle of the 
lil),it is interest iiiu l<. note that Xoidenskiiild saw men at Port Clarence 
who liad, besides the ordimuy labret holes, "a, similar lude forward in 
the lip.''^ The \arious (lortraits ol' natives ])revionsly inserted show the 
jiresent manner of wearing- the labrets at I'oint Bari'ow. 



.Most oftliewonie 
l.oncl 



lear necklaces made of strings of beads, 
together with much taste. The tobacco 



itti 



lti-(t(il<tx. — The women all wear bracelets, which arc sometimes strings 

ot beads, but more cot mly circles of iron, brass, or copper wire, of 

which several aie often worn on the same wi'ist, after the fashion of 
baugh's. The men also s el inies wear bracelets. These consist of cir- 



iiii'ii. 



the plate oppoaite. 



MLKDocH.] T.KAOS COMBS. 149 

cles of narrow tlidiiy. upon whicli are struni;- <iut' or two larj^f l)c:i(ls or 
a conpU' of Dentalinni sliclls (pu'tu).! 

We bronoiif home one pair of men's bracelets {newly iiiadi'), ime of 
whicli (S'J3SS [1355J ) is ti.niired in Point I'.arrow Kept. l';thiiole-,v, I'l. i. 
Fig. 4. They are made of strips of seal tlion.i;- o-l' incli l,ro:id. h.'iil 
into rings (9-4 and S-( J inelics in cin-nndercnre, respectively), with the 
ends slightly overlai)i>ing and sewed to.-cther. On each is stnini; a 
cylindrical bead of soapstone about one-half inch long ami of llu' same 
diameter. A single liracelet is generally worn. 

Finfier-rings. — Both sexes now fi'ei|Uent!y wear brass linger rings, 
called katu'kqierun, from katu'k<[luri, the middle linger, ui>on which 
the ring is always woin. 



Beads.— In addition to the ornaments alivadv cb-scvibcil. tlic wonu.i. 
use short strin-> ol bead-, buiioii-. etc .. lo onianient \aiiou- paii^of 

strings of bead.s aie ollcn aitaclnd lo \a i^ olp|cci-, ^ucli .i^ pipe-^, 

tobacco ponehes, etc. One oi two w onn n w ci c al-o ob^ci \ e(| towcar 
laige bnnciies of bcaiU and bu'ion- aiiadicd to the innei midlc ni 
front so as to hang (low n b(i w ( en t he leu ~ 
inside r)f the pantaloon-.. \ m arstiani;.' ^^-^^ ' "^5t--^-.^ 

Inlet, wheie a \()inn; woman woieai;ood </,' e"^ i '''^^' >'^\ ''fl 
sized metal bell in Ih.' >amc uncomlo.lable f'??^^W'^--^-V>, "^ 

"i"""*''--^ ^nie^t'I" -.il'l-. i\«'.i' '\^-^^ .«^i 

temi)fedthemanufa.tui.-ofbcad-inlonii.a U . 1 j'-^ f 

times, when they were not .so..asily obtained '^^--^■^^8^ 

as at present. There is in the collection a *""- ■''-"' ">-"f ""'"' 

string of four small beads made from ambei picked n]i mi the lie.ich 
(Fig.97, No. Si)7(H>|I7n;| ). They areof dai k lione\ .oloied tianspaient 
amber, about one-third IticIi long and one hall un h diannto .it the 
base. Such beads are very raie at the ])ieseiit da\ The abo\e speci 



The only .ibject in use among these pcojih^ that can be considered a 
toilet article is the small hair <-oinb (i'i|ai'utln), usually made of walrus 
ivory. 

Tlie collection contains ten specimens, from which Xo. .-.(I^dt;/* [LSii] 
(Fig. itSrt) has been selected as the type. It is made of waliiis ivory 
(from near the root of the tusk). When in use, it is held with the tip of 
the foretinger in the ring, the thumb and middh^ linger resting on each 

' There is in the collection .'I Imncliciliiv ili,>.- sh.-ll-. i\h, s!ir,:;n i . : ;..,;. . ,,i.. ,ni,l lin;lil,v 

valued .as ornamenta. Mr. K. E. C. Slivirns, i.i' ihr r. s Xaii.in:il Mn . in 'i- :.!■ iinpd ili<- ■,|l.■^l.•.^ 
as nentilliHm In<liaiioriim Cpr. UmhMv ^ H- ,„, tlo„nn. Sl.y.h .allr.i ,hl,..M I, l,> il„. I ,mIi,,.,m ..f 
liortliwest (■.ililnriiia, .umI ■•liiciiui" (.r. K. I.onl) ..r ■liyaqua" (F. Whymptr) ijy tli.- l,..li:niH rnnu,\ 

n'oyage. p. 'JOS. 



150 



THK POINT liAK'UOW ESKIMO 



side of till' neck. Tliis is ])('rli:ii)s tlic commonest form of the comb, 
tlioiijili it is often miide with two cnived iirnis at the top instead of a 
rinj^ras in Fi<;-. '■'''^/'- >'<>• •'»*'■">*'•' I ""I- '"' ■^""iftimfS with a phun top, like 
Nor.")(i."i7ii [I'lOJ (Fi.ii'. !''V). Nine oft lie ten combs, all from Utkiavwin, 
•in- of wah'ns ivory, lait No. S!)7.s.'> |l(i()il|, which was the property of 
iliVliw..-." tlie Nnnal'anmiun. who sp.'nt the winter of 18S2-'83 at Utki- 




avwin. IS mad 

made with j;r( 
saw, bnt on on 
tin. as we iiad 
like tliat (h'scr 



TKh'cr anthT. Tliis was jiroltably made in the 
s more plentiful than ivory. All these combvSare 

and |iaticiice. The teeth are usually cut with a 
lien the maker nsid the sharp e<lge of a piece of 
lo loan him a line saw. This kind of comb is very 

I'arry from l.ulnlik.i 



IMPLEMENTS POK (iENERAL t^SE. 



Knircs.—AU tlie men are now supplied with excellent knives of civil- 
ized manufacture, niosily butcher knives or sheath knives of various 
Iiatierns. wliicli tlic,\ employ for uumeidiis pnriioses. such as skinning and 
bnli-heriiii; -ame. ciittin.n up food, and ron-li whittlinj;. Fine whittling 
andcarviiii; is usually d.m.' witli t he ••crooked knife," to be described 
further on. In whitlling the knife is -rasped so that the blade projects 
on tlic ulnar side of the hand and is drawn toward the workman. A 
jiocketknilc. ot whii'h they lia\c many of various patterns, is used in 
the same way. I ,.bsei ved tliat llie .Vsiatic Eskimo at IMover Bay held 
the knife in the same manner, ('apt. Lyon, in describing a man whit- 



. opp. p. 518. 



151 



tliiig- at Winter Island, says: -As is .ustoniaiy witli ni ^nx s li< ( n 

ward tbe left liaud anil nevei used tlie tlmnil. .il' t lie i ulit i^w, ,{, 

a ebeck to the knife."' This :iii|iaveutl.\ refers Id a sinul u ni mn 

holding the tnife. I'.efore tlie intiodiiiiinn ol' iidn, knuis i).]h 

have been always made of slate, worked l.y .urindin, \\ . ol.i i 

twenty-six more or less coniiilete knives, most of whn li m _( nuni 

implements, which have been presevxedas lieivloomsoi unuii ts | 

knives are either single or doul)le educd. and tlie doubh < d^i d 

may be divided into fou 

consists of rather simdl knives wit 

the edges strauht oi onl\ sll,!itl 

curved, tajieriiu to i si 

cated iM.int.withtl 

tiTigin a shoit bioul t ui^ sli,lith 

narrower than the bl idt \\hit 

in.serted in the end of i sti ii^lit 

wooden haft, it k 1st is lon^ i- 

the blad.-. Th. .ommon. -I n it( 

rial is a liard dui pni] 

though some IH ol bl k k oi dilk 

gray shite. Ot this <_1 is^ «( h nt 

three complete kni\(s mil h\( 

bhides without tlu h lit 

No.89584 [11(17] (h^iiH dm Point 
Barrow Eei)t I thnolo_\ 
Fig. 3), will I 

It is a blade ol d ill piiiph -i u. » 
giound smooth > iin In s Ion.,, j 
taiK-ring from iwidtiiot 1 
at the butt, with (m\id . iU« s t 
a sharp poll 

faces from tin iinddli Im. to tl 
edges, and Iin ll it t liu Is llisiiti 
into a cleft i 

haft of sprui. I hi bl 
cured by aw 
turns of si 
broad shall. 

of the haft is loopid I sl,„ii 
[1(111], isaknili ol tin -iim . 
inches and a bl id( >iiiihis li 
of which the fust is i iiiihm 
braid. The materials i 
,S'.I.-),S.-. 1171(l| (I'^ig. Wl>]. _.. 
which appears to be of cotton w 1. is 




Tin: POINT I! A I 




MIltlMl oil 

icofStC.SI |11 
' nMliideil oi't 




woikfil down 

l'(lj;i'S. They 

with tlic blail 

.•i-1 inches In.iii tlic haft 

and the shortest l-'tjiuho 

with tlic l)ladc i.iojeiliiii 

only 1-t indies. 

Ki^Lt. l(tI,No..S'.i,-,s.!|i,;().-.| 
is a knife of tliischiss. witi 
file l)lade a nearly eipiilal 
eral tiian^Ie d-l inches 



to-cther is of braided sinew. Of 
No. .")f)(j84 [228] (Fig. 100), is like 
|. but rather hirger. The others- 
iicated points and are not over 3J 
iij;. includinji the tanti'. but otherwise closely 
Ilie bla.h's already described. They aU show 
lis of considerable ai;e and several of them are nicked 
1 gapped on the edge from use. Knives of this class 
ke an,\- in use at the ])reseut day, and it was- 
iioi iiossible III lea III dclinjtely whether this shape served 
.\]\\ specjai |iiiiiMise. We were, however, given tonuder- 
siand tiiat Ihe siiarp pointed ones were sometimes, at 
lea.st,u.sed for .stabbing. Perhaps they were used specially 
lor ciitfing up the smaller animals. 

The st'cond class, of which there are four specimeus, is 
not unlike the lirst, but the blade is short and broad, 
willi strongly curved edges, and always sharp pointed, 
whil." the haft is always much longer than the blade. 
tiisicad of being cNciiiy be \elcd olf on both faces from the 
middle line to the edges, they are either slightly convex, 
;r:idiially lo the edge, or flat with narrowly beveled 
i-c ail small knives, the longest being 8-3 inches long. 





FlU. 10L'.-S1;.I 


<; l-.iilu. 


102. No. ,S!».-)01 flOK 


!]. isaiiolh. 


secured by a single 


rivet of 


wood. 




The third class 


consists / 
th long. [ 


of large knives. \vi 


broad, lameolate 


blades. " 


and short stiaigln 
There is only one c 


1 hafls. 


sjiecimcii.Nii.S'.C.'.lL' 


10(121. Fiu. 



i ill 


iches wide at the base), with 


flat 


wooden haft as wide as the 


ade 


and -U inches long. <-left at 


e ti 


p and lashed with thirteen or 


iirti 


■en turns of sinew braid. The 


lies 


near the butt of the haft were 


oba 


l.ly to receive a lanyard. Fig. 


of 


the same ilass. The blade IS 



> 



2 10(1-]. Fij.. in;;. This has ^ 



;^■IVK^: 



l.')3 



isll sllt( (iIIkIk ~.1o1I„ 111(1 _ ttllK h V 1)1,, 1,1 Ullh 111, ( lU, N 111, Mill \ 1m \ 

elul oil Ix.rli ti«(- Ili( bittot ^I.lU(( I- in two l,.iuitii(liiiil M< Hon-,, 

put f()^( thd M, IV r<) iiulosi tlu vli,,it t m^ ui til. 1)1 1(1. 111(1 i-,v(, I 

b\ .1 ti^lit ^Nlnjipiiu ot (Ulit. .11 tiiiiiv.it tin. V, ,1 |„|,|, ,|„l limit,, I 

with red oilj^.1 I luv Iviiilt is 

ue^\ and was mid. im si], \ , — ~"""-N 

but Is und()ul)t(dl\ i (oimt 

mod. 1 ot m iiK It lit J) ittdii, 

as >() )(>t)7<. [_'n4| (I i<i ]()4) ^ 

w 111. li IS (lU iinh iiKUiit >]i --»- -i— t.A^ >«^ 

pcais to b. tin bl id( ot )iist i i i i i i . i ,, 

sii.h a kiiilo \\( W.I. to]. I til ir tin htt.i « is mt. ndul t„i dittiii'- 

bhibbei Tins ]>. i li ips m. ins tli it ir w is , \\l, ,ii„, Kml, m, n,!,,,,^, 

broiulit lioiiK I 111 uniti. . lit Iviiil. (it ]ii((is(]\ tin sun, pittuii in id. 

of b^lit <>ueu ] id( 

llie two kiii\(s i( pK s( niiii^ III, toiiitli . 1 isv 11. hotliinw 111(1 
made loi sile li ixiiu M iil( s oi s,,tt si n, \v w, ,)lit mud no ^t uunu 

kin\(s<)t this pittdii it is posMlil. tint tli(\ id(l\ (oiiiiiiddil 

fabiu itioiis 111. t\\..liii\(s IK \,u IK iil\ ihl ( Iiiittln lii,d ^o 

^^p^M-wi-^.. -""^5^ tin nioi. (ii.liilh iid.h 
111. Ill 1.1. isol It iif .i.d, 



, llld _ 



iiim IS sTiaij^lit nearly to 
the tip, wild.' ir .•iiivcs to a sinirp ]ioiiit, luakiii-;- a blade hkc tliat of 
the IJonian -ladiiis. Tlic iiatt is a piece sawed out of the beam of an 
antler, ami has a elelt sawe.l in one did to receive the short broad 
tan--- ot the blade. Tiie whiiipiiii; is of sinew liraid. 

The siii,i;l.--ed,';.'d knives were |)r(,l);il)ly all meant s]ieeially for cut- 
tiny food, and are :ill of th.' same n.-neral jiafterii, varyiu-- in size from 
a bla.l.' only -.1 inches Ion- to .me ot 7 inch.-s. The blade is -emnaUy 
more str.iiiyly .iirv.'d al.in- tlie e.l-e than on the back and is nsnally 
sliarp iiointed. It is litt.-d with a br.iad taii.y to a strai.yht halt, iisnallv 
sliorter than the blade. There 

areintheeollection foiirconii.leie T'—'-fWT^' ' ""^ 

knives and tiv.- iinliafted hhnles. 
N()..S!t.-)!t7 [Urcj ( Fi- Kii;) isa typ 
iealknifeof thiskind. Thebhide 
isofblaekslatcrathen-ouiiluaiid F.'duo.-L.r^,. si„si..o,ii^,-,i slat.- kmiv.- 

is 5-() inches long- (iiicliidiii<;- the tang). The tang, which is about one-half 
iueh long and the same breadth, is lashed itf/ainxt one end of the tiat 
haft of bone which is cut away to receive it. with five turns of stout 
seal thong. Xo. Sit.'.itl [l(l.Vi| .lilfers from the preceding only in hav- 
ing the tang inserted in a eleft in the eud of the haft, aud Xo. 8!).389<{. 



irj4 Tin; I'.. I 

[l(i:.-tl lias tlu- hack iii.nc ciir 
tlir lasliiiiKof wlialcl.oni^. ■ 
N„. S1I.-.S7 [1.-.S7] is a small 
iinhcdd.-.l vitla.ut lasliiii- in 
Most of the l.lad.'S an- t\ 
SIiitHitlilv liiiishrd. hilt Nil. •">( 



I 



aii-ulavhladcwilliaslion-ly. 
is litlcd a st.iid halt (iriHinc 

l)iui)l.'slatf. -round SI tli. 

till' shall, •■utt in- (■(]-.■ h.'vcl 
thcf.nvshalt ..r an old wlial 
The hack of the hladc is fitfc 
hy three very neat lasliint;s.it 
passes thli)Uj;li a Ik 



d ilian the ed.i^c. the haft of aiitk-r and 
I I luce are of \ ei >' iiid<' workmanship. 
ifc with a tiinicated ])oint and the tang 
e end of a ron-hly made haft of bone. 
>e of knives simihii' to the type, more 
1' [I'M] (Fi,u-. 1()7(() is noticeable for the 
extr.'iiie '-lielly" of the ed,i;e and the 
'i snioothness witii which the faces are 
\ beveled from back to edge. Su(di 
f kni\ cs aiiproach the woman's round 
^' knilc (iibi, nlii'ra). ^•o. S'.MJOl [77(i] 
(h'if;. 107/^) is almost double-edged, 
tlie back being rounded off. Fig. 
lOS, No. 80(131 [lOSlJ, is a very re- 
markable form of slate knife, of 
which this was the only specimen 
seen. In shai.e it somewhat resem- 
bles a hat(diet, having a broad tri- 
r\ ed cut tingedge, along the back of which 
}. incheslong. Tli(^ blade is of soft, dark 
(1 resembles the modern knives in having 
almost wiiolly on one face. The haftis 
liaipoon, and is made ot whale's bone. 
into a (h'cji narrow saw cut, and held on 
of narrow strips of w lialebone, each of which 
led through the blade close to the haft and 



"^ 



vertical h.des in tl 
ige towards the 1 
that the lashing i; 



•ach side of the blade. 
k of the liatt and are joined by 
luintersiink below the surface of 



thc 



Thi 



The purchaser -^ot the ii 
after our return it was di 
newer than the hall. 



was broiigh 
y used for CI 



down from Nuwuk aiul offered 
tting off the blubber of a whale. 
I it was formerly attached to a 
On more careful examination 
the haft was really ].art of an old 
s to receive them were evidently 



KNIVES. 




It is possible tliat rlic tiladc liiny have been h<UiX :i,i;<. tilted to flu- 
haft ami that the tui.l may liave been used as d.'sciibed. Tluit knives 
of tliis sort were occasionalls used by tlie Kskimo is shown by a sjieei 
men in the ^luseum from Norton 8ouii(l. Tliis is smaller than the one 

haft, for liaud use only, put on in the same way. 

With sileh knives as tliese the cut is ma(h> by ilntiriiin t he knife toward 
the user instead of ])ushing it away, as in usinu the round knife. We 
found no evidenee that these Eskimo ever used knives of i\(nA (except 
for cutting suow) or ivory knives witli l)its of iron inlaid in the edi;-e, 
siieh as have been observed among those of i he Kast. 

Fig. 109, No. 89477 [U22], is a very extiaordinary implement, wliieh 
was 111 ought down iiom Point Lniow mdwhidi It i- c\nlinil\ bon 
(Kposid iloii^sidt ot -,((nK coijtst it th< ( ( mt t( i \ 1 h< 1)1 idi i-- i Ion, 

tilt thiiipi(<( o\\\h (It 

bom wt.(l^( d b( f\\t < 11 
th( T^\o iMits ol till 
liitt whuli has bdii 
s iwid I* n^thwisi loi 

(»i Imll(■^ to l(lll\( It 11 1 I 1 111 

rill liilt IS I shnihi i.Kii c I iiitl. 1 \o .thn ■^|M,lm. ii-~( t th. I iiid 
^\^ n Sim iioi h i\i simil ii ini|ili mt nt- t i iin I n wh iLi bt < n ib^c i \ t d 
iNiwliin 1 111 II itlM - in^i^tid th It It w 1^ ,t imiin ind w i tnnitih 
Usui toi I ntliii^ bliibbi 1 

I nave mtroiliieeil tour ligures oi oiii iron <ii- sreei Knives, <u wnien 
we liave six siteeiinens, in order to show the way in wliieh the natives 
in early days, when iron was searee. utilized old ease knives and bits <,f 
tools, lifting them witii halts ot' their own make. All ai;ree in having 
the edge beveled on the ui)])er face oiil.\. .Ml the kiii\es whieh they ob- 
tain from the whites at the ])iesent day are worked over with a lile so as 
to bring th.' bevel on one fae.- onlv. I'ig. 1 l(t. X.i. S!)i'!Mi |!(70j, fnmi 

Nuwiik,liasa blade 
ni,and the tlat 
laft is made of two 
ongitudlnal see- 

l.„, 11.. s,n;,lln,.uk,„i. autlel'. held together 

with four large rivets nearly e.|uidistant. The two whieh j.ass through 
the tang aieof brass and the other two of iron. The blade is ;!•(; inches 
h)iig. the haft 4-1 long and (I-9 broad. Kig. 11((, Xo. SOiMU |9(ll|, from 






rtkiav 


wnl, has 


in the 


same wa 


re<-ei\e 




three o 


f brass a: 


Tlie bh 


ide is b; 


Nil w Ilk 


, has a s 



It. thick, and sharp pointed bladi 
hantler. om'sei-tionof the liatt 1 
k tang. The first two rivets areo 
t (piite long enough to go w lioll>- tl 
.' inches long. Fig. lib*. No. S'.i 
.lade. L'.-l inches long, and the two 



the other 
the haft. 



haft 
stout 
fl.«(l 



Til 



IXT liAKKOW ESKIMO. 



iri> held tojretlicr, not by rivets, but by a close sjiiial 
seal thouf!- extemliuf;' the whole leugth of the haft. 
]. Via. Ill/', from rtkiavwifi, has a peeuharly sliapedbl 
lit of some steel tool imbedded in the eud of a strai 
r 4 inehes loiii;-. One of these kinves. not tigured, i- 
if tlie l)ladeof an oldlashioued eurved ease kuife. It i 



ng of 



which 

l>it of 




<>• 



itli tliis 
av be a I 



e three flgures, of 
)le knife bought or 



liK?)and Mr.Nei. 
thick sheet iron. 
of rejndeer antic 



loulde-edged knife (Fig. 112, No. 
11 as the slate hunting knife (Fig. 
lusly mentioned. The blade is of 
iple of rivet holes, and the haft 
1 tot;fther by a large copper rivet 



€L 



ind a 

lallnii 
itting 
1 mod, 



'sstillin use. especially as hunting 
in said). Th.'y are .-onsidered to 
ping off evil spii'its at night. As 
jecf lias iii(>l>al)ly invested it with 
d. riiese Icnives are uudotibtedly 
\<'s (|)an'-ua)" mentioned bv Dr. 



3U-RL.X-1I.] ('ROOKED K\l\Ks. 1,",7 

Simpson (up. fit..]'. -'<i'i) ;is bn.ughr loisalc l.y the N mMiMiiniiini. wh,, 
obtained tlicni from tli.' Sil.i-iian natives, ai'd wiiicli hr bdicws [„ [»■ 
cairicd as far as rhi' stiaitof I'niy and II. ■da. it wonid be nitiavslin- 
to decide whether the stone Imntin,;; kni\-es were an original ideaofllie 
Eskimo, or whether flie.\- were eoiiies, in stone, of tlie fust tew iron 
knives obtained from Silx-ria: Imt more material is nceiled helore ihe 
matter ean be cleared up. 

The natives of Point Barrow in ordinary eonversation. call all knives 
savik, which also means iraii, and is identieails the same as the word 
used in (ireeulaud for the same olijeets. If, then, there was a time, as 
these people say, when their ancestors were totally ij;iiorant <if the use 
of iron— and the lar.n«' number of stone imidements still found amou.i;- 
them is strongly coi-roborati\-e of this — the use of this nann^ indicates 
that the first iron was olitained from the east, a Ion i; with tin- soap- 
stone lamps, instead of from Siberia. Had it first com.' from Siberia, as 
tobacco did, we should exiiect t.. ttnd il. lik.- the latt.-i-, .'alLMl by a 
liussiaii or Siberian ininie. 

Lik.' all the Eskimo of North America fr.nn ('ajM- I'.ailiurst westward^ 
the natives of Point Barn.w use for fine whittlin.i; an.lcarvni- on woo.l! 
ivory, bone, etc., "erook.'d kni\-.'s." consist in.';- of a small l)lade, s.'t on 

the und.M- .side of the end ..fa h.n.u .airv.'.l halt, so that th li;.", wlii.'h 

is b.'vele.l only on the upjM'r la.c. pr.i.i.'.'ts ab.mt as inucii as that ..fa 
sp..k.'sliav.'. Th.' .-uiv.' of bla.l.' an.l halt is su.-li that when tli.' un.ler 
surfa.'cof th.' bla.l.' r.'sis a-ainst th.' siirfi..' t.. b.- .'iit tli.' end ..ftlie 
lialt points up at an aii-le ..f ab.mi t.'i . This kinfe .liffers ess.'ulially 
fr.mi tlie .-r.^.k.'.! .aiM lu knif.' s.. -.'ii. 'rally n.sed l)y th.' In. bans of 
N.H'th America. .\s a rnl.' tli.' latt.'r lias ..iily th.' bla.l.' (wlii.'li is 

Th.'se kiiiv.'s are al th.' pr.'seiit tim.' ma.l.' of ir.)ii .ustc.'l an.l ar.'of tw.. 
twosize.s, alarii.'knife, mi'.llin. witlia halt Id to L'l* in. -h.'s I.. n,u, intended 
f..r workinf;-on wood, an.l a small .me, savi-r.i'n (lit. -an instrum.'nt for 
.siiavinji"), \vilh a haft C ..r 7 in.'h.'s l.m- ami inten.le.l sii.'.'ially Ibr <'ut- 

tin-l e an.l iv..ry. l:.,th si/,.'s aiv lian.ll.'.l in the sam.' way. The 

knife is h.'l.l .'L.s.' t.. 111.' bla.l.' b.'tw.'cn tli.' iii.lex an.l s.'.'.m.l tln.u.'rs ..f 
the rifiht hand witli th.' thumb over the c.l.i;.', whi.-h is towar.l tlie work- 
man. The workman draws I In- knife towar.l him. usiiiii his thumb as a 
eheck to {■aui;.' tli.' d.'plli ..f the cut. The nativ.'sus.' these knives with 
very jzivat skill, lakiiii;- otf Ion-' and very ev.'U shavin.ys an.l pr.iilu.'ins 

There are in the c.ill.'.'li..n four large knives an.l thirt.'.'ii small ones. 
N.(. .S'.li'T.S |7,S7| (fig. li;;) will s.'rve as the tyi>e of th.' larg.' knives. 
The haft is a pi.'.'.' ..f r.-in.i.'.'r antler, flat ..n .m.' fa.'c an.l r.mn.h'.l ..n 
th.' oth.'r, an.l th.' ciirv.' is t..war.l the r..un.l.'.l fa.'c. Th.' Mat fa.'c is 

' Comii.wi this with what .\i|.l. I'ar.y »a\s ..t tht. w„rkiiKm.shii. ..f thi- p.-oph- of Ighilik CM Voy.,1). 
3.^0). The almost exclusive us,' .,1 l 1m- il..nlile-edgea pan'nii is the reason their work is so "remarkably 
coarse and clums.y." 



l.-.s 



111.- rip. 

ri;.t and 



Slink til 
Mw .lit 



with .-1^ 
skin til 



TEI-: POINT lUKUOW lOSKI.Mo. 

and th.' lowiT cd^c is sloiicd oft' so that tlie end of the haft is 
iiaiiDw. with a slijiiit twist. The blade is riveted to the flat 
I he hat't with tliree iron rivets, and i.s a piece of a saw counter- 
sh witii th." surfae." of the haft, so that it follows its curvatiire. 
till';- ed.i;.' is beveleil ..illy on the upper face. The lower edge of 
. fn)ni tli.'l.ladi'tothe place where it begins to narrow, is pierced 
'ven e(|iiidislaiir hul.-s. tlironuli which is laced a piec of seal- 
•ii>T the two [laris .rossinu like a shoe-lacing, to prevent the 




hand fr.Hii sli]i])ing. The ornanicntal ])attern on the upper face of the 
haft is in.ised and was originally coloreil with red ocher, but is now 
tilled with dirt. 

Fig. Ill, No. SitTSd |l(lO-t(/], is a very long hatted knife (the haft is 
ll'-.'! inciies long:, bnl (.thcrwise i('sciiil)lcs th.' tyi)e, though not so 
elab.)iately ornaiiiiiitiil. The lilade is also a liit of a saw. It is pro- 
vided witli a sheatli .ij inches long, ma.le of black sealskin with the 
blaik sid.' out. iloulilc.l over at one side, and .sewed "over and over" 
down th.' otii.'r si. I.- and round one end. To the open end is sewed a bit 
of thong witii a slit in the end ..f it, into which .)ne .mi.! of a lanyard of 
seal twine !."> iii.'hes long is fasteiie.l with a b.'ck.'t-hitch. When the 




X'^ .^^^^^MP^^p 



Or^^^ 



h sbt.ith 

•sheatli is titie.l o\ci ihi- lila.h- th.- lanyard is passed through a hole in 
the haft and iiia.lc last liy two or three turns around it. Such sheaths 
ar<> often used b\ careful w.nkiiieii. This particular knife was the 
liroperty of the •• inlander" Iln'bwgi;, previously mentioned. No. 89283 
lilCTj, from Nuwnk. is inteivsting as being the .inly l.-fthanded tool we 
obtain.'d. The loiirtli kiiitc has a bla.le with a cutting eilg.' of .S.^ inches, 
wiiile that .if each of th.' .it hers is ;! in.'hes. 

Th.' small knife .lilfers little from th.' niVdllfi ex.-.'pt in having the 
haft very much shorter an. I not tajier.'.! ,,tf at the ti]i. Fig. 115«, >'o. 
.-,iu,-,-2 [Ur,\, from Ftkiavwifi. shows a .■.iniinon form of this kind of 
knife, though the blade usually has a sharp jioint lik.' those ..f th.' large 



CK( )( )KEI) KNIV 



159 



knives, prdjcctiuj;' bcyoiiil the t-iid tif the halt. 'I'liis kmlf lias a lihulc 
ofiroii riveted oil with 1 wo iiiiii rivets to a hatl of rciinhTi- ant hi'. The 
edges of the Luft close to the hlade are ron-lieiied with rrosscui.^ to 
prevent slipping. 

The blades of the small knives aic fic(|iiently inserted into a .-Irti in 
the edge of the haft, as in Fi.u. Jl.V*. s'.iii.iL' isi'TJ. ;,nd Siii'TT 1 1 1 Ti']. 'i'he 
blade,iu such eases, is secured by wedging it tightly, with soniet inns the 
addition of a lashing of thong through a hole in the halt ami iinnnl the 
heel of the blade. The blade is usuallv of steel, in most cases a hit of 




a saw and the haft of reindeer antler, generally plain, unless tlie circular 
hollows, such as are to he seen on No. siii'TT [ 11 TL']. which are very com- 
mon, are intended for ornament. Fig. 1 lO. No. SDL'Tr. [llS.ij. from It- 
kiavwiu, is a rather i)ecMliar knite. The liaft. which is tlie only one 
.seen of walnis ivory, is nearly straiglit. and the unusually long i)oint 
of the blade is stroiigl.v Ix-nt \i\>. The rivets are of copper. Tins knife, 
the history of which we did m)t olitaiii. was very Hkely meant Ixitli for 
wood and ivory. Ft is old and rusty and lias been long in ns<'. 




All of the crooked knives in the colh'ction arc genuine imi.l.'ments 
which have l)c..n actually in use. ami do not ditiler in tyjie from the 
crooked knives in the Mnscnm from the Alacken/ie district. Kot/.i-l>ue 
S.mnd. and other parts .,t Alaska. Similar knives aiqiear to l,c tised 
amoni; the Siberian Kskimo and the t'hukches. who have adoj.tcd then- 
habits. Hooper (Tents, etc., ].. IT.V), menticms "a small knife with a 
bent blade and a handle, -em'rally ma.le of the tip of a dc-r's horn." as 
one in ucneral use at IMover P.av, and handled in the same skillful way 



1(J(I 



ItAKKOW KSKIJK 



as ai Point BamiwJ Aiiioiij; tin- Ivskiiiio iif the t-eiitral region tbey 
arc alniosi fiitiiclx uniouiwu. 'I'ln- only iiieution I have seen of such 
tools is in I'anv's Second \'oyajic (i». o(»4), where he speaks of seeing at 



l"hllik "SC 



.pen 



ciookeil wooden liandles," which 
liunlvs ••must lia\c- lii'cn oldaincd liy coninmnication alongshore with 
Hudson l>ay." I can lind no specimen. figure, or desciiption of the sa'nat 
("lool" I. I lit- tool par excellence of i he < iiccn landers, except the follow- 
ing delinition in K!cins( limidfs "(Ironhimlsk Ordl.og": "2. Specially 
a narrow, long hailed knife, wliicli is sliarpened on one side and slightly 
curved at the tii)(and wiiirh is a (Ireenlander's cluef to(d).'" Tliis seems 
to indii'ali' thai tin's knil'c. s(] i-ommon in the A\'est. is e(pndl.\ common 
in dreeidand.' 

Whelh.-r tlicse people used crooked knives before t he intloduction of 
iron is l.y no means cerlaiu. llmugli ]iot improbable. Fig. \\l,i. Xo. 
8!)(i;i;i [lUHiJ, from rtkiavuiu. is a kiiiie made by imbedding a tiake of 
gray Hint in the lower .-d-e of a lialt ol' reindeer antlei-. of th.' in-ojier 
shape and curvature loi :i midrm handle. The haft is soiled and 

ubtedl 




historic knife, and t 

kniv.-sall obviously new and m. 
refused to buy any more, leads me to sus])ect tliat it was fabricated 
with very -reat care from old mateiial. and skillbilly soiled by the maker. 
Ten of these kinves of Hint weri' purchased within a fortnight before 
we dele<-ted the ilecci'l. I'ig. 117/>, Xo. ,S!l<;;:;(i [ll'lL'| is one of the 
best (d' these counterfeits, made by wedging a freshly flaked tlint Wade 
into the liaft (.f an old savii^ron. which has been scuuewhat trimmed to 
"■'•'■ciNc tlic l,ladc and soiled and charred to uiake it look old. Other 
mure carelessly made ones had clumsily cai\ ed hainlles of whale's bone, 
uilh i,.u,uldy tiakcl lliuls stu.-k into them and -bled in with oil dregs. 
All „]■ these cam., from Itkiavwiii. .\ii,,tliei- susiiici.urs ciicumstance 
is that a few days previously two slale-bladed crooked knives had been 
lu-ought ilowii from Xuwfd. au.l accepted VNJthout .pu'sti.ui as ancient. 
On examining Hie specimens since ,,ur return. 1 lind that while the 
halts are certaiidy .dd. Hie blades, which are of soft slate easily worked, 



<lh>k in IHli.'',. 

' A »|.,vi„„ 

knir,-i„ ,,:,.., 



cTi)i)lse<l liiiif.-'' (Voyasc. II. 181), iW i 
f(I .It tbi- N'ulioiiiil MiisiMuii. It i» I 



)la iijied in Ka- 




MUiiLucii.l CKOUKEl) KM\E.S KOINU KNIVES. 1(11 

are as certainly new. Fin. lls,(, ns//, icpicscnr these two Univcs 
(8!tr),S()[l(Myj,S!».j,S(i |l(MJIj). whieli liMve tlie hbi.les laslied on will, ,|eer 
sinew. It is wortliy <if note in tliis runneetiun tiiat llieie nre no slone 
kni\-es ot tiiis ])atteiii in tiie nnisenni IVoni an\ otiier locaiilx. 

Tlie women employ for m!1 |.ni p,,s..s foi' whie'h a Unite or seissors r.mld 
be nsed a semieireiilar kniteof tlie same -en. Mai type ;is tliose il( seiilied 
by every writer from the days <if I'^jicde, who has had to deal with the 
1 

a ^ 

- -yJ^ 

h 

Eskimo. The knives at the |.icsent day are made of steel, nsnally.and 
]ierlm|.s always, of a piece of a saw blade, which -ives m sheet of sleel ot 
the pi'oper bre;idth and t hickness, and are mannfactured by the natives 
themsehes. Dr. Simpson says' that in his time they w<ae bron-ht 

fr Kot/.ebneSonnd by the Niimitanminn. who obtained them from the 

Siberian Eskimo. Then- are in the coUection three of these steel knives, 
all of the small size -■enerally .'ailed nli'in: ("little filu"). X... .-.(i.-)4i; 1 1 i) 
has b.'en i.i.-k.Mlont for d.'s.aii.ti..n ( Fi.ii. I III). 
Th.' bla.l.- is w.'d-e.l into a liamll.' of walrns 
ivory. Th.' .niiam.'ntati.m on Ih.- han.ll.' is 
of incised lines and .l..ts bla.di.MU'd. Th.i iil ^ 

tiliji- edn-e of the blade is bev.de.l oi fa.-.- ^> 

only. This knife re|«resents tin- -vn.-ral 

shap.- of kniv.-s of this s.)rl. bnt is ratli.-r '"■ "'' " '" ' ' "''' 

small. ■!■ than m.)st of th.-m. 1 hav.-s.-.-n some knives with bla.h-s fidly 
5 or (! iiiclies lonnaiiil .leep in proportion. The handle is almost always 
of walrus ivoiy aiiil of the shape (i,i;Mre.l. I d.) n.it i-emeinb.-r ever 
seeinji-an nln blade se.-nre.l .)th.-rwise than by liftin- it ti-htly iiit.) a 
imri-ow slit in th.- han.ll.-. .-x.-.-pt in .)n.- .-as... wh.-n th.- han.ll.- was part 
of the ori.uinal han.ll.' .if th.- saw of whi.-li th.- knif.- was ma.l.-. left 
still rivet. -d .m. 

kniv.-s are ns.-.l. Wh.-n.-v.-r a woman wish.-s t.) cut anythini;. fr.>m her 
food t.> athrea.l in h.-r sewiTi-, sli.- iis.-san fdu in pr.-fer.-n.-.- (..anything;- 
els.'. The knife is han.ll.'d pr.-.-isely as .l.'scrib.-d anmn-- th.' east.'rn 
Eskimo, makinji- th.' .-nt by jinshin- inst.'a.l ..f .Ira win-,- thus . liir.'rini;- 
fr.)m th.' h.n- han.ll. -.1 r.ain.l knife mention.'.! abov.-. Kniv.'s of this 

<) i.;tii 11 




Ifi2 



i.\i;K-0\\- KSlvIM( 




Fiii. !.;«.— Woitian'j 



;is ill our iiiiucinj;' kiiixcs. 

dilution (if iron. Tliciv ;nv in llic coll. ■(■! ion twcnty-rliicc nuni- or less 
roiiiiilclf i-ouimI knives ol'stonr. most of wliicli 
:llT.;;riilliMrilil])lclllcilts tli;lt liavo liOcH Used. 

Ol' liicsc a lew. wliicliarc iicrliaps tin- more 
iciciil oiics.lia\c liladrs not unlike tbeiiiodcni 
slerl knile. l''oi- instance, No. SlMjSO [1 KM!] Fi},'. 
iL'd, has a l)la.le olhard ,i;ray mica slate of al- 
^. - '-fi^ Miost |>iccisely the modern shape, l.ut l.otli 

faces are oradnallv worked ilown to tlu' eut- 
tin.u ed.-e witiiout a bevel on either. The 
i-i^"i'-- handle is very hir-e and stout and made of 

n.arse wliah-'s hone. This knife was said to liave come from tlie ruined 
villas-eat I'eiiiyK. Fi.i;. ll'l. No. S'.t(i7i» ftlTIj, from Nuwi-ik, was made 
for side, hut is perhaps a model of a form sometimes 
Us.mI. The sha|M-of the l.lade is .piite dilfc 

.so .St roll- ly to the front. The handle is of oak an<l tl- ^«3^* 
bladeof ratherliaid.ilark imiple slate. Fiu'. IL'L', SIKlMi i 

iiitrodiiceil to show a method of hattiii.i;- wliicli may 
have been formerly eiui.loyed. The liatt is of reindeer 
antler in two lon-itudiniil sections, between which '-"■'"' '■'^"" '''^"i'- 
the blade is wcd-ed. These two sections are iield to-ether by his]iiii-s 
of sinew at each end. passinj; tliroii.uh holes in ea<'h jiieee and round the 
ends. Thes.'lasiiinusbein.i;' put on wet. have shrunk 
so that the blade is very tishtiy <'las])ed between the 
two parts of the liandh'. The commoner form of 
these stone knives, however, has the liack of the 
v'X l>la<le much loiiji'er, so that tlie sides are straight in- 
' .A stead of obliipie and usually round off gradually at 
theendsof th.M-uttiii.- edi;c without being' produced 
Fi.>.r.-j.-\v.„„a„akutle, J"'" •! l'"int at either end. No. SiMWl.' |<.l,-,8j is a form 
»i.i,- i,i;,.i,.. int.'rmediate betw.'cn this and the modern shape, 

diiced into a sharp point at on<> end. Tl 

No. Sil(!:ii; [1I22|. Fiji. I-:!, approaches yet V .4 '.. Xfi^ 
nearer tlie aiieieiit shape, but still has oiii' end 
slightly produced. The handle is alsoof rcind,.,.]- ' " 









Hitler, wliich .s,.ems 



1 with the slate 



blades. Tin- la.shing roun.l the l,la,l,. close to the handle is of sci^ 




thoti.i;. witli the end Wduii.i spii- 
and neatly tucked in. If seems 
tlie liandlc sous to make it lit f 
()f%ht()live-n-en.el..udedjad.>. 
Xo. 89(575 [117(1). liel.,n-,.d' t,, a 
knife of this paftein. The oldci 
pattern is icpiesented hy ^'u. 
8967(1 ll.-.Stl]. a suiall knife hhuh- 
from I'kiaxwin. wliieh has Ix-en 
ke))t as an aiMuiet. \(i. .")(l(i(;(l 

hut eloii""ated. heiip'' 7.-', iindies ''' '"' ^^ ""'■"' ^ ■^i^'^i^'it «liitt;-l>ladt-d kuilV-. 
lon-aiKlL'hruad. This is a very heautifiil implement of i)ah^. olive, jade, 
fii-onnd smooth. The Level alon- the haek ofeadi of these hhuh's indi- 
eates that they were to he lifted into a narrow slit in a Ion- liaft. like 
that of No.S'.insi |.ss(;j. Fi^. im. from Xuwnk. Though ImiH, hladeand 
liaiidle of this si.eeim.Mi are very old, and have been put toj.;-etlier in tli<Mr 
pieseiit shap.' for a Ion-' time, the 

d.mtly l.,don-ed to a lon-er hla.hs 

uiiieh litted in the cleft witliouf the 

n.'cd of any lashin- Fio-. H.'.",, \o. 

..^ SlHIii;; |S74|, shows a form of handle 

evidently of very .ufeat anri<niity, 

as the specimen shows sij,qis (»f jjreat age. It was purchased from a 

nati\('of rtkiavwin. It is made of a single piece of coarse wliale's 

])one, it was iiitench'd for a hia.h' at least 7 inch.-s h.n;:. 

Fig. iL'f., No. .-.t;(;7L' [I'.li |, from rtkiavwin, is a very crude, large knife, 
intended for irse uiih.mt a liamlle. It is of rough, hard, dark iiuri)li.sh 




Fig. 125 



Ut llIM 




shite. The iipjier three (piarters of both faces are almost unti>uched 
cleavage surfaces, hut the lower quarter is prett\- smoothly ground down 
to a semieircuhir cutting edge, which is somewhat uieked from use. 



Ill 



liAK'UdW KSKIMf 



apprars in liavc l..'.-ii iaivl,\ used. W.^ nl.taiiicd only tliivr (if tliis mate- 
rial. No. .S!l(!'.Ht|i;UI| is a tlinl kriilf liall.Ml witli a roii.ijli, ii rc.uular lump 
ofcoarso whalr's hone. Tln' lilailf is a rallicr lliin •• spall" ol li.ulit f;ray 
Mini, linked i-ouiid tli.- .-d-.s into 111.' shape of a inodeiii iiliin; blade. 
Willi a. verystroii-lyeiiived eiittin- ed-e. Tliou-h the handle is new, 
the llaUin-o|-the blade ,h.es n-it secMri fresh, so that it is possibly a 
;:.-iiiiine old blad.' fitted with a new haft for the inaiket. A similar 
Hint blade, more neatly llaked. was brout^ht tVom Kotzelme Sound by 
laeul. Stoiiey. C. S. Navy, in 1S,S4. The otiiei' two tlinf knives are iu- 
terestintr from beiiii;- madi' for use without handles. 

Xo. SlliiOI [l;{i;i»], Fi.u. IL'7. from Sida-u. is an oblou.i;-. wed.nc shaped 
sjiall of -ray Hint, of which th.' ba<-k still iireserves the natural surface 
of the pebble. It is sli-htly sliap<'d by coarse tlakin.- alon.- the back 
and one eml, and the cdye is finely tlak.'d into a curved outline lound- 
n;,^ u|. at th.- .Mids. The siieciiin-n is old and dirty, and was probably 
om oraninlet. No. S'.tdDl' |n7S| is a similar 
spall from a i.mnd jiebble. Such knives as 
iIk'sc are evidently the first stejis in the de- 
velopment of the rouml knife. The shape 
of the spalls. ].roduced b.\- breaking a round 
or oval iiebble of Hinl.wouhl naturally sug- 
gest using th<-m as knives, and the nextstep 

;ivater adaptability of slate, from its 

n... ij7,-w,„„.,, - i,„„ ,i,,i„,i softn.'ss and easy .■leavage, tbr making such 

knives woidd soon be re<-oguize(l. and we 

sln.n \p.Mt to lind. as w.. (h., knives like No. .-.IKmL' | Illl ]. The next 

step would naturally be lo provide such a knife with a haft at the point 
wh.M-e the stoiu- was grasped by the han<l. while reducing this haft .so as 
lo h-ave oidyjusl enou.uh fbi' the gras]) and cutting away the su])erHu.)US 
coriHTS.if the blade would give us the modern form of the blade. K(mnd 
knivesof slat.' are not p,-,nliai- t.i I'.iint I'.ai row. l)nt have be.-n c.dlected 




llie r.'latmusliip iH.tw.M'ii th.'se kui v.'s an.l the semilunar slate blades 
loon. I in th.' N.uth .\llanti.' Stat.-s has already been ably discussed by 
Dr. Charl.'s Itau.- It must, however, be boriu- in mind that while these 
ar.' siilliciently "lish cutters" to wariant their admissi.ui into a book 
on fishing, the cuttin- of fish is but a siimll \y.\vt of the work tliey do. 
Th.'uame-lish ,ulter."as appli,..! to these knives, would be no more 



Uoa 



A1)ZI> 



\»i a \: 



(listinctivf tli;ni tin- nan tohar.-,,,-! 

knife.' 

A.hrs ,»,//„„«», — Kven at tl,- juvs..,,! daythr Kski r |.,„„l I'.ar- 

row use no toiil fur sliaiiinj; hw^c picci's of w IworU, cxcciii a slioit- 

liandlcd adz, liaftcd in tlic same manner as the old stone tools wlii.l, 
were eniidoyed liefore the introduction of iron. Tiiouj;ii axes and liatcli 
ets are trei|Uently ol.tained l.y tradin-. tliey aie ni'ver iis.'d as sii.-li, 
hut tlie iuMd is r.-inoved and reliafted so as to make an a<l/, of il. Tins 

lml.it is not i.eculiar to thr ] pie of I'oint iiarrow. Then' is a liatchel 

head, mounted in the same way. fr..m the Anders ;iver, in ihr 

Museum eolleetion. and the same thin- was note,! in Hudson's Sirait 
hv <'a].t. lA<in-' and at I'ilnlik l.v ('ajit. I'arr\ ■ Mv. L. M. Turner in 
lomis UM' tiiat tlie Esknno ot rnj;,i\a. on the south side of Hudson's 
Stiait. who iia\e l>een loni; m eontaet with the whit. v. have learned to 
use axes. The ( ollei tion (oiit.iins two sm h ad/es made ti-om small 
iiat.h.'ts. X.,.V.Is7.![<(7l'[. Flu 1_'\ is the moi. t\ pi. al ol the t w,,. The 
blade Is the head ot a small hatehet o. tonnh lu k l,,sl„ d to Ih,. haft 
ol oak \Mtii a stout thonu ol seal hide The laslmm is pjc-e. and 




is i.nf on wet and shrunk ti-htly on. This tool is a little lon-er in the 
haft than those .ommonly used, and the shai..' ^nid material .,f th.' haft 
is a little miiisiial, it l.einu i;<'H<'rally elliiitical in se.-tioii and ma<le of 
soft wood. 

Fig. 12!t, No. "ifJd.JS |.i(l<»), from I'tkiavwin, is a similar adz, but the 
head ha.s beeu narrowed by cutting off pieces from the sides (done by 
tiling part way througli and breaking the piece olf ), and a deep trans- 
verse groove has been i^ut on tlie front face near the butt. I'art of the 
htshing is liehl in this groov(^ as well as by the e\ e. th<' lower half uf 
which is filled u]> with a wooden idng. The halt is ].e<nliar in l>eing a 



],;(", Tin: I'OIM liAKKiMN i.^ivi.M". 

i,j,..-,' ofrfiiia.-rr aiill.-i wliic-li lias 1)c-.mi iviliiwd in thii-kness by sawing 
o'lit' ii slice for S inclics lioiii liii' hutt and brinj^inK the two parts together 
with tour stout wooden treenails about l.i inches apart. This is pref- 
erabh' to trimming it down to a proper thickness Ir.iin the surface, as 

the hitter process would remove the < ijtact lissu.' of the outside and 

exiH.se the soft inside tissue The whipiiing of seal thong just above 
th<' tiaii"e of the liuil helps to given better grip and, at the same time, 
to hold^thi! i>arts touethci. As before, there are two large holes for 
the hishiiig. Adzes of this sort are used for all large pieces of wood 
work, such as timbers foi- boats, planks, and beams for houses, etc. 
Alti'i- roughly dressing these out with the adz they are neatly smoothed 
ott' witli the crooked knife, or sometimes, of late years, with the plane. 
Tlie work of '-gi-fting out"' tlie large ].ieees of wood is almost always 
done where the drift log lies on the beach. When a man wants a new 
stem (u- stcrnposi for his umiak, or a plank to icpair his house, he 
.searches along the beach until he finds a suitable jiiece of driftwood. 




i-n 



he claims by putting a mark on it, and sometimes hauls up out 
way of the waves. Then, when he has lei.sure to go at the work, 
•s out with liis adz an<l siiends tlie day getting it into shajte and 
iiig it to a convenient size to can y home, either slung on his back 
loo large, on a dog sled. .\ man si^ldom takes the trouble to carry 
more of a pieic of timber than he actually needs for the ])urpose 



riien 


• is in tlie 


colic 


diow: 


ing the grai 


lualil 


.lock 


of st(Mie 


work( 



l''irmii 


ies> is o 


blai 


shrinl 


> ti-ht. 


N, 


well a 


dapt.-d 


for 1 



tling th 



tore the intro<lu<'tiou of iron. 
■esting series of ancient tool.s, 

implement from a rude oblong 
ing edge on one end, to the 

have, however, not even yet 
Ihe tool in which to insert the 
imiuers, picks, and mattocks — 

the expanded end of the haft. 
ling on wet and allow ing it to 

adzes are of Jade, a material 
Iness, which, however, renders 



MrRDocH.l STOXF, AHZI'.S. 1(17 

it difficult to work, riol.ahly the oldfst ct tl„si' lul/cs is N,,. .-.(iOT:, 
[69], Fig. 130, which has h,.,.|i selc'tcd as tlir typr ot ihr ••ailirsi lonii 
we have represented in tiic eollcction. Tliis is of dark oli\c ^rccii, 
almost blaek, jade. 7-2 iuclics loiii;. L'-S wide, and I-.! Iliirk. and snioolhly 
ground on tlie bruadcr laces. The cutting cduc is nuich liidkcn tidiii 
long use. Ouebroail la<-c is])i-ctty sniodthly giduiid.hut Icli lonuli at tlic 
butt end. The otlier is rather tlatt.'i, but more tiian lialt'ofil is inviiu 
lavly concave, the natural inequalities being liarilly touclied by grinding-. 
Like the other dark-colored jade tools, this specimen is very nnu'li 

due to long contact witli greasy sulistances. 





No. S!»()(ii' |!M)()], from Nuwfdi, is an exceedingly rough adz ot sinnlar 
shape, but so slightly ground tiiat it is probably one that was laidasi.le 

untiidshcd. From the battered appcararc .,t tl nds it seems to have 

been used tor a hammer. It is of the same dark jade as the preceding. 
No. SiltlS!) [T'.IL'I, from I'tkiavwin. is <>\' rather light olive, opa(!ue jaile 
and a tririe better linished than the ty].c. whih' No. S'.KKIl [ll.V.I. Fig. 
i:?I.also from I'tkiavwin. is a still hettei' piece of w.ukmanshiii. the 
curve of tiie faces to the cutting cd.ucheinu \ iMv gracclid. The inter- 
esting j.oint alioul this specimen is that a straight piece iias been cut 
otr from one side by sawing down smoothly from ea(di face almost to the 
middle and breaking the piece olf. \V<' were informed that this was done 
to |)ro.Mir<' rods of jade for making kinfe sharpeners. We were inlornu-d 
that these sKuics were cut ill the same way as marbh- and freestone are 
<Mit with us. namcl.N. by sawing with a tiaf blade of ir.m and sand and 
wat.M-. A thin lamina'of hard bone was probably used before the intro. 
duction .if iron. I'ossil.ly a reindcr scajuila. cut like the one made 



1(;,S llli; I'dIM' llAl.'KdW KSKIMO. 

into a saw (Xd. SlUTd |ll.'(nij. Fij;-. I47i. l>ut without tcftli. was used for 
this piui.osc. 

That such stone blades were used with a haft is shown by the only 
hafl.-d s|),M'iiiieii.No..'>fi"i:-'S |:.'l t]. Fi.u. l.!!'. IVoni Xnwfik. This is a rather 
small a.l/. The head of dark j;reen Jade ditfers from those already de- 




wide, and 1-7 thiek. 
like that of Xo. .-.(Iir.s 
; is of the usual 
d |iul on in the usual fashion. No. 
SiMi;:; j 1 ll'.S| is an old black ad/ from Sidaru of the same 
pattern as those desci'ibed. but very snu.othly and 
neatly made. About one half of this 
specimen has lieen eul ofl' I'or whet- S^-r "" 



worked substauee for tlie 

{'•II' "I' the head woul.l naturally su.u-vst itself 

Fi-. l;!.-!. Xo. ,S!Mi.-„S [lUTi'l. from rtkiavwifi. has a Ion- blade of Idack 

stotie with the butt .slifilitly tap.Mvd olf and imliedded in a IxMly of 

whah--s bone, which hasachaunel ] inch wide, for the lashin- cut nmiid 



IMPOSITK ADZK 



1(19 



it iiiul a sliallow so.kct ..m rlic tacc to ic.-.-ivc tlic cikI of the h; 
heads (if this saim- type coiitimu'd in use till after the iiitici. 
iniii, -which was at tiist utilized l.y iiiscitiiij;- a tiat blade of 
Just siieh a body, as is shown in Fii;-. l.U (No. S!(S77 [7.".1.'1, fVoii 
eteiy at Utkiavwin). 

From this t.n^e to that shown in Fiu. 1.'..". (Xo. .sOSTt; \i\<M; 
by the natives from the ruins on the Kiiln^iiia) the transiiio 
Supixtse. for the .greater ])rotection of the lashinfi's, we iitrhisf 
nels on the si.l.-s of tlie head— in 
words, bor.-h^ 

'fi"3f> """'' •-"• ■ "■>-"■'» i« 




-~ide of the head joined by tiansverse /^ | |l^ 
. hamiels (.n the iiiiper face. The fjif^ 



-peeiiiien ti.uiuedhasoneaehsidetw.. • 

.,l)lon- slots wirh a round eye 1.. . 
tween tlieiii. Tjie blade is of iron. ,,; 

\a^^^ li- i;!.;. No.5(;(;4(>ii^ii<)|hastwoeyes mr^ 

?T^7r .,11 each si.le. and shows a different It"; 
^ ll^"!/! ni.'thod ofattacliillj,Mhe blade, whi<'h i!,/ - 

IS countersunk Hush with the upper ^f \ 
-Ill-face of the l)o(ly and secuied with 
1, 1, \,I/i, „i,i three stoutii-oiiri\cts. The next ste]) j.-,,, |.,,-_\,|~ 
';,'i'i, ^;',"t',. '".l,"' " 1^ I" snl)stitiite hori/.onlaleycsforthe ';";';p';"\'" 
\ei-tical ones, so as to have only one "'""' "' 
M-f of liol< - t.p Ihi. id the lashinjis throiij;h. This is seen in No. 
[87^J. 1 u ' •' '""II N'liwiik. which in .liviieial i>attern closely rese 
Xo. >Si)">7(» |l>'H.' lint has three larp- lioiizontal eyes instead of tli 
tical oiiPs. IIh blade is of iron and tli.' halt of whale's hone. 




of li;inl. dark imri-l.' slat.', i n- nai 
in- has Ilu- slioit end A//.-//-'/ t" I 
nmn.l. iiislrad of Immm- slit to iv... 
tl,.' UMial i.attrni. 'I'lirsr <■ sit 



itdW i;sKiM( 



SITlill 



lavi 



d « 



lir^t 



i part after iiiakiii.i;- tlic first 
■ latter. Otliorwisf it i.s of 
s of lioiH' and stone or iron 
tlic ]icrii>d wlicn stone was 
into use in small (luautities, 
uitil tlic niTscnt dav. We 




ill size and their sliai>e. They are usually broad and ratlier 

1 narrnued to the Imtt, as is seen ill Fig. 139, No. noiiSo [71], a 
littl.'adz of hii-ht oreen jade L'-.S inches long- and -'•;! wide, 

kiavNvin. No. .'.CpCTO \'Mi'>\ also from rtkiavwin, is a similar 
l.lad.' of gre,.nisli jade slightly larger, 
being ;!-l inches long and 1.' inches wide. 
No. .S'.)(I7(» I KI'.lL'j is a tiny blad<' of hard, 
tine grained black stone. |n-obal)ly oil- 
soakcil ja.le, only 1-7 inches long and 1-5 
wiilc. It isvi'iysinoothlygroiind. Sueli 
little adzes, we were told, were .■specially 
us.'.l for .■iitting boil.'. Th.> iiiipliMiieiit.' 
wlii.-h Xord.Miskjidd calls a --stone 
.■his.'l," Ibiiml in the ruins of an .)ld E.s- 
kiin.ili.>iisi'a(('ai(eX.)rtli,isevidentlythe 

~ '""'"'' '" '" ^'"" i"i' iicadofoiicof thi'se little bone ad/,es,as is 

.i\r li-iuvd tw,, 1 ;■ .•.miposit,- adz.'s. which aiv .|ilit.' .liffereut 

ih.- i.'<t. No. s'.is.is j 1 Kilt 1. I'ig. 1 l(», has a blade of neatly flaked 
Hint, but this as well as th.- iinnsnally straight haft is newly 




F.^u 



p. M4, Fig. 



MrKDorH-l ADZKS. 

mack'. These are lifted tn a very old Ixnie IhmI.v, \ 
was not over •'! incites loiiy-. and was prohalily \k\ 

adz. Tliere is no evidence tliaf tlies<- p. le evei 

Fig. 141, No. SlISTl' (7S:.|. isintroduced tosiiowliowflr 
an old cooper's adz, of wiucii tlie ey<' was jiroliably 1 
with a boue body. 



ised Hint a 
ali\chasuli 




While the ailzes already described ajipear to have been the picdonii. 
uatin}; tyi.es, anotlier lorin was sonu'tinies nsed. Fi--. U'J, N'o..S!).S74 1 11(14 1, 
from Niuvfik, represents this form. The haft is of whale's rib, 1 foot 
h.njr, and the head of h<»i<; ajiitarently whale's scajmla, .-.-(i inches lon,u 
and li-S inches « iile on the e,Le. There is an adze in the .Miisemn from 
the Mackenzie K'lxci i.-ion with a strri bla(b'- of i-reclsely the same 
pattern. That a.Izo ot thi- i.attern sonn'times had stone blades is 



probable. No. .Ml." 

type, with a small 

haft, which isdisp 

.Ml these adzes, 

well indicated by 
whale's rib or rein 




I 1 l.-.lTl. is a clumsily made rowDivn-i^il tool of this 
•ad of .mvcnisli slate. It has an nniisnally stiai-ht 

iH-icnt and modem, are hafted upon essentially the 
short cur\-e<l haft, the shape of wliich is Mifliciently 
„. ii„M,-... ....cns t,, have been -eiierallv made of 



both of wh 



r I'.AKHdW KSKIMO. 



t,. til.- sliapcdf tlir halt. A 
larly well suit.'.l loi I lie liafi 
tiatiiiMlly Ilif iprop 



li" of a rciiidet'i's antler is jiarticii- 
mall a<l/c. Not only does it have 
a suitable curve, hut it is very easy, 
hy riming out a small se-;-meut of the -heam" where the "branch" 
starts from it, to make a tlan.iic of a conviMiient shai>e for fitting to tlie 
hcail. Antler is besides easily obtained, not only when the deer is 
kill.-d for food, but liy pickiu.'; u|) shed antlers on the tnndia. and is 
coUMMiiuMilly cm|iloycd tor many purposes. The haft usually has a knol) 
at the lip to keep the hand from slip]iin,i;-. and thi' .i;rip is sometimes 
rou-hened with cross culs or wouml v, ith thon.u'. There are usually as 
many hol.-s for the lashin- as tlieie are eyes in the head, thoujih there 
are two holes when t he head has only oiu' larj^c .'ye. < )n the bone heads, 
the surfaces to which the haft is applied and the channels for the lash 
in;;s are roughened with cross cuts to i)i-event slippiiiji'. The lasliinj;- 
always foll,,ws the sanu' .uem-ral plan, thou-h no two adzes are lashed 
exa.'liv alike. The |)lan niav l>e summari/ed as follows: ()u«' end of the 




thonji makes a turn throu-h one of the holes in the haft, and around or 
lhi-..u,uh the head. This turn is then secured. Usually by passiuj;' the 
lonji end through a slit in the short en.l and Lauliug this looji taut, 
sometimes by knottini; the shoit end to the hmg part, or by catcliiug 
the slKiit end dnwii under the next turn. The long part then makes 
sc\( lal tuiiis round oithrou,i;h the head ami through the haft, sometimes 
also crossing around the latter, and the whole is then tini.slied oft' by 
wrapping tin- end two or thiee times around the turns on one side and 
tucking it neatly underneath. This is v.My like the method of lashing 
on the h.-ads of the mauls already described, but the mauls have only 
one hole in the haft, and there are rarely any turns around the latter. 

•lade ad/. blad<.s. like tluise already described, have been brought by 
Mr. Nelson fn.ni Kot/cbuc Sound, the Di.une.h.s, St. Michaels, etc., and 
one came from as far south as the Kuskoquim K'iver. 

r/,/.sW.s.-\Ve collect,.d a nund.er of snmll short handled ••hi.sels, re- 
sembling th.. nnidenuMits caUed -triidv.'t makers," of which there are .so 

•"='"•; '" ""■ ^"^'f ^'' ^h>s.uuu We never happened to .se.- then, in actual 

use. but were uitorm.Ml that they wie especially designed for working 



on reindeer antler. Of the einht siK'ciiiieiis cdll 
Fig. 143, has been selected as a tyiie of the ant I.t ,■ 
blade is of steel, and tlie halt is of r.'indcrr antl( 
sections, pnt toffetlicr at ii,i;lit an.ulcs to tlic pi; 
to^rethcr l.y a stout round hone ti 
tli.'liutt. Tlic s(]uare tij) of tlic hi 
fac.-s to a rou-h en; 



:■ 



^ 


^ 




'■1 


' 


1 


Ij 


,if 




'\ 






















,1 ,' 


J. 


i 


/■| 






'' 




, 




< 


^ 



No. s..;;(.- |ss4|. 

ki'iiniisa). Til.. 
wo loii-iludinal 
' liie iiiadc, lield 
i -JA incli.'s from 
of tiic l)ia(lcis li."v<'l..donlM)tli 
l-c. Ki-. in 
laiil.iade witi 
an oldi(iuc tip not l)cvclcil I,, an ciluv 
and a haft of walrus ivory ycllowi^l fron 

i/ each with a dot in tlic center, all incise.l |#' 



and colored with red oc 



The two f® 
t,. -ether ii® 



parts of the haft arc fas 

by a stout w Icn treenail and a xflich of f 

whalebone. 

The rest of the steel-liladed chisels. 
four in iiumbcr, are all of about the 
same si/e and hafted with antler. Tlu 
blades arc soniewhat iriv-tilar in shai.e. 



l-'it, )i:i .\utk; 



lint a 



uar 



1)1 cdo-e. Thr( 



uc tips : 
theni h; 




tliesecti<ms()f the halt put to-, til. 1 i- d. m nb. ,1 iii.l t iM. n. .1 1)\ i 
treenail and a whipi)in- of seal twin, .u .-111. w bi ii.l it tin tip On. 
has the two sections put toji-ether 111 th. pi iii. ottli. bl nl. iii.l list, n. .1 
with a larfi-e«.op|>er rivet, which also pi^^ -.thiou^li th. 
butt of th.'bhiil... and thr.-.. stout n n in- llu h ilt> 

of all th.'sc tools show si-ns ,if inn h I lliiu H" 

r.Miiaiiiin-twosp.M.iin.'iishav.-blail.s .1 1)1 n I tiiiit N.. 

S'.MI.iT |1L'()7|, has a halt .)f wall iis i\ oi \ ol tin usu il 

patt.-ru, fast.'ii.'d tof;..th..r by a b.n. ti..niil indtwo '% | i^ 

stitches, on., of siiicw brai.l ami on. ot s, ,] thoiu 

Thelashinn of s.'al twin.- n.-ar th. tip s, i \ . s to m. nd 

a cra.'k. Th.. Iiatt is ,,1.1 aii.l riist\ ib >ul lli. slot iiit.i 

which th,. bla.lc is titt.'d, shov iiu tint :t oii^in ill\ 

ha.l an iron bla,l... Th.' Hint bl i,l. w is pi, b ibh put 

in to make it s..,.m an,.i,.nl. a- th, i w i.. i sp nl in hi 

demand for i,r..|iistori.. aitich.s. No ^m 1_I(I| iu ll> is n tlmu 
but a fanciful tool ma. I., t,) m.-.-t this .|< m m 1 lli. hill is ol lulit 
brown mountain sh..,.p h,)rn. ami th, 1,1 nl. I 1 1 i, 1 Hint snhllmt 
bla.led t.).ds may hav,' l),.,.n us..,l ,oi,m-,l.N, b,„ .I,,-,.-.. „.. ,„,,.,! >h„. 
they were. 

Whiilt'lioiir sliiirrs.^Thcvr is ill us., at Point liarrow. ami a|>paivntly 
not elsewhere amonj;- the ICskim,), a sii,.,.ial tool forshavin- whah-bonc, 
a substance which is very much iise.l iii th,' tbriii ,if hin.-, thin strijis 
for fastening together boat timbers, whipping speai- shafts, etc. The 



17 1 THK I'diNT i;.\i;i;()\v kskimc 



thin. I 



ij; sliaviii;,'s wliifli cml u\> like •■<■ 
iisrd forth.- l.a.ldiii- l).-luccii sloe 



(1 hair." arc .•aicfully saved 
• and IxMit. Whah-lMmc is 
als.. s.iim-timcs shaved lor this special piiipos.'. The tool is essentially 
a little spokeshave ahout I inches loni;, uhicli is held by the index and 
second tin;;el' of the lif;ht lian.l, one on each hamlle, with tlie thumb 
l>ivssed aj;ainst one end. and is drawn towaiil the workman. The col- 
lection contains three specimens of the ordinary form (savigi!), repre- 
sente<lbv>^J. .S!l.!i)(i |S,S,-.| (ti-nred in Point Harrow Keport, Ethnology, 
I'l. 111. Fig.fi). This has a steel blade and a haft of walrus ivory. The 
npiier face of the haft is convex and the under llal, and the blade, 
which is bevele.l only on the upper face, is set at a sli-ht inclination to 
the Hat face of the halt. Thee.lge of the blade inoje.-ts U-J inch from 
the haft above and O-:', below. The hole at one end of the haft is for a 
lanyard to han^ it iii) by. Tin- other two are of essentially the same 
pattern, but have halts of reindeer antler. 

'flic collection also contains six tools of this description, with stone 
blades, but they arc all new and very carelessly made, with hafts of 

SmW ["ll'i:!], from I'tkiavwih, which has a. rough blade of soft, light 
iire.'insh slate. The other five have blades of 
ilack or gray tiint, roughly flaked. All these 
)lad<'s are glued in with oil dregs. No. 89652 
lL'i'.">] is like the others iu shape, but more 
Fiii. ui).-wii;ii.i...ii. <1kiv,,sI:ii,- neatl\ made, and is peculiar iu hiiviug a blade 
of hard, com])act bone. This is inserted by saw- 
ing a deep, narrow slit along one side of the haft from eud to eud. The 
bla<le is wedded into the middle of the slit, the euds of which are neatly 
tilled in with slips of the same material as the haft-. This was the only 
tool of the kind seen. It is \ery jiidbable that shaves of stoue were 
fornierly used, though we obtained no genuine specimens. The use of 
oblong chips of Hint for this puri>ose would naturally suggest itself to 
a savage, and the convenience of titling these flakes into a little haft 

would s 1 occur to him. No. 8!Mil() |117(i] is such an obhmg flint, 

llaked to an edge on oiw face, which is evidently old, and whiidi was 
said to have been used for shaving whalebone. The material is black 
Hint. Whalebone is often shaved nowadays with a eommou knife. The 
slab of l)one is laid upon the thigh and the edge of the knife pressed 
lirinly against it. with the blade peri.endicular to the surface of the 
slab, whi.-h is drawn rapiilly un<ler it. 

N„,r.s-.— If the l-.skinio had not already invented the saw before they 
became ac(piaiiiled with the whites they readily adopted the tool even 
when they had scanty materials Ibr making it. Orantz' speaks of "a 
litth- lock saw" as one of a (ireeidander's regular tools in his time, and 
Egede^ mentions handsaws as a regular article of trade. Capt. Parry^ 



' GrtfuliiiHl, p. 175. ' 2a Voyage, p. 536, 



SAWS Dim 



Ml 



foimd the natives of lulnlik.in ISiil-iSL'.tjisiii- :i smw niinlc of ;i iinirlicil 
piece of iron. On our askinj;- Xikawa'alu, one day, wlial llif\ IkhI for 
tools before they K'ot ii'on lie said that tliey iiad drills iiiadr ol' seal lioiies 
and saws made of tlie shoulder blade of the reindeer. Some time after- 
wards he l'r"ni;l'^ "ver 
a model oi su( li a -au, 
which he sani was t'\ 
aetly like those foi t 

merly used. Fi^. ItT. L_, . _ ^ _ ^-''' ', 

No. 89470 lll'()()|. lepie 

V\r, H7 — Suv rii 111.' 1,1 (liri-^ -r iTMil I 

seutsthis s])eeiuien. It 

is made liy euttin.i;- off the anterior edn'e of a reinilcci's sra|iula in a 
Straijfht line jiaiallcl to the posterior cd,;;.' aii<l ciittiii- line saw lecth 
on this thin edoe. The spine is also eiit otf nearly tiat. This makes a. 
tool very mueli like a carpenter^ hacksaw, the narrow jiait of the 
scapula forminji' a convenient liaiidle. 

FiS'. 148, No. alM.-.ll |I.-.|. siiows how other imi.lements were utilized 
before it was easy to <il)taiii saws in plenty. It is a common ease knife 

stamped on the blade, ••Wilson, llawksworth, n \ Co., Slieliield," 

which jierhaps came 
liom the I'lirrcr, with 



„j3r 



J 



Fig 148-Siwniad« 

had been ex|.osed with a 
trade, ami most of tlie nat 
and makes. The name foi 
Drilh <ni<) horcrs.—Thv 
amonj;- the I'Iskimo. Tlio 
not differ from the la rye s 
son rivers b\ Macl''arlaiie. 



•s.iw t(eth cut on the 
edi;( Itwasi.h'kcd 
ni) .It the rtkiavwin 



-e at present employed at 

■ries collected al the :\lack< 

The drill is a slender rod. 



e iiiiiv.'rsal 
Harrow do 
iiid AiHha- 



a drill iH.iiit and imbedded in a stout w leii shaft, which is tapered to 

a rounded tiji. This (its into a stone socket ind)edde,l in a wooden block, 
which is held between the lecth. so that the point of tli<' drill call be 
pressed down a.uainsl the obj.'ct to be drilled by the head, leaviiii;- both 
hands free to w<u-k the short bow. which has a loose striii.';df thoii.i;- lon.u' 
enoujih to make one turn round the shaft. The collection contains ten 
of these modern steel or iron drills, fifteen bows, and sin'en mouthpieces. 
No. S'.i.-.OL' |,S.-,,!|, Ijoiired in Point Harrow Kept., Ethnology, PI. ii, Fi- 1, 
has bc,m sclecte.l as a ty pi,-;, 1 drill (nia'ktun). The drill is a, cylimlii,-al 

r,,d ,.f steel beat,' ;t int,. a small lanceolate i.oint, wlii,'li is lil,',l 

sharp oil the c,l--es. The shaft is made of hard wood. The ivmainiiiK- 
drills are of essentially the same pattern, varyini;' in total .'I'li.uth fr,im 
about 11 inches to Ki.i. 

Fig. 14<», No. ,S!»HI!I I'.MW] shows a somewhat unusual shape of siiafl. 
The lashings round the hirge end are to keep it fr(jni splitting any more 



17(; 



111-. I'diNi' :;ai.'i;(i\v kskink 



and the slialt ,<{' spriR-e, 



tliaii it has iloiic alica.ly. I'lic drill is, 
wliicli was imcc i)aiiitf(l willi nil nchcr. 

N... S!M!t7 |.si!t| (Ki.u-. l."")(ii lias a I'.TniJ.' of coarse-grained hone neatly 

|ic;;^ed nil witli twii small |ic.t;s of tlie same iiiateriiil. TliLs is imusual 

■,. The slialr is ,.f 




d.eae 

.-. |S(11|. ti-nred ill Point 
narrow lleport. Ktlinolo.u.v. I'l. 

ty|)ieal bow (|)iziksii;i) 
lor use with tliese drills. It is of 
walrus ivory. It! iiielies Ion- and 
ovalins.-ction. Tlirou.uli eaeh end 
is drilled a transverse liol.^. .V 
strini;ofseal thoni; I'l inches loiiu- 
is loop.Ml into one of th.'se iioles 
l,y i.assin- one end of the tlnain- 
thronuh the hoh-. ciittin- a slit 

iroii.uh this. Th.' ,,tlier ..nd is 
issed Ihron-hlh,. other hole and 
knotted at the tiji. 

i-i' not less tliana foot or more than I(i inches 




made how of whalel.one. which is more .strongly 
areheiltlian usual, and has the striiii; attacheil 
to notelies at the ends instead of into holes 

Thiswassaidtohelono withanoldl drill.' 

No. siMiKs [!).-„;]. |i„,|, ,,„„, ,..,„„ ^,,,^^,.|^^ 

Thc-se hows are often lii.ulily orname,it..d hot li 
1>.V -■arvin- and with incised patterns colored 
with red ocher.a- soot. The following ti„-,„,.,, 
are intn.du.'.Ml lo shou some of tli,. dilferent 
styles of oinainentalion. 
ViH- 1 •">•■!". No. .-,(M(||| I- 



ably luiide for a liaiulle to a (oo| 



lly hroad and flat and was prob- 
''^uch handles, however, appear 



DEI 



.LS AND 
ws. Th,. 



BOW: 



is how 



iiimals, 

TlllIMT 



to be also used for drill 

heads, aud have good sized sky hliic ulass brads inst 
eyes. Therestoftlieornamciitatinii is incised and lihi 
Fig. 153h, :So. 89421 [12f!(»], from rtkiavwiu. is a simi 
which has iiieised on the hack tigures of iiu'ii and : 
which, perhaps, tell of some real event. Mr. I.. M. 
informs me that the natives of Norton Soun.l keep a rc-uiar 
record of hunting and other events engraved in tliis way nuon 
their drill bows, and that no one ever ventures to falsify these 
records. We ditl not learn definitely tiiat sucli was the rule 
at Point Barrow, but we have one l)ag liandle nuirked with 
whales, which we were told indicated the nundx-r killed by 
the owner. Fig. 1.5;5c, Xo. S!>42.j [IT.iL']. from T'tkiavwln, is a 
similar bow, ornamented on the back with simply an incised 
border colored red. On the other side are the figures of ten 
bearded seals, cross-hatched and blackened. These are per- 
haps a "score." Fig. 153^7, No. 89509 [914], from Xuwiik, is a 
bow of the common pattern, but ornamented by carving the 
back into a toothed keel. 

Fig. 153e, No. 89.510 [901], from TTtkiavwTn, is ornamented 
on one side only with an incis(-d ])attern, which is blackened. 
Fig. 153/, No. 89511 [961], also from Utkiavwin, has, in adcU- 
tion to the incised and blackened pattern, a small transparent 
sky-blue glass bead inlaid in the middle of the back. Fig. 
153g, No. 89512 [836], from the same place, is a flat bow with 
the edges carved into scallops. The incised line along the 
middle of the back is colored with red ocher. The string is 
made of sinew braid. 

Fig. 154, No. 89777 [1004/>], which belongs in the '-kit" of 
Ilu'bw'ga, the Nunatanndnn, previously mentioned, is inter- 
esting from liaving been lengthened 3^ inches by riveting on ;i 
reindeer antler at one end. The two pieces are neatly Joined i 
si)lice" about 2 indies long and fastened with three iron riv< 



177 

seals 



piece ot 
n a Hap 
ts. Tlie 



udcd that his drill 




he was at home, in the interior, where li )uld 

The incised pattern on the back is <'oloied witli 
The mouth])iece (ki'hmia) consists of a l)lo( 
iron), in which is hollowed out a round cui> like s( 
ceive the tip of the drill shalt, inil)edd<'d in a 



able size to hold bi 
9 ETH 1; 



■tween the teeth. This bk 



btain n<i walrus ivory. 

ick of hard stone (rarely 
socket, large enough to re- 
I l)lock of wood of a suit- 
■k often has cur\ed flanges 



178 Tiir. i'..i: 

on 1 uli -^uU wliKli list u I 

.•OIllMH I. ill lloM^ 111. . IM II 

asis-lM.wii l.\ lUi MuMiiriK 
15i,n.,« K.|. It I tliiM.I<.„'N I> 



T liAlJlJiiW ESKIMO. 

list tli( (ImKs feiuh iiioutli])i(cos lie 
111 11i( Vmldson Ri\n to ^()lto1l Sound, 

h tioii No sO>()0 [^0(»J fi^iiKd 111 J'oiiit 
II, 1 1^ { i> 1 t\iu ottlii flnif^td inouth- 



.,„,, Ill) 11 ,k is ol i)iii( ( ii\(d into 1 tliKk, hioid iidi, with i 
hn^i l)l(.(koiitli< uisidi liitotlii topottht luliisiiil lid i piu e of gri s^ 



->cs^:^r- 



rtp...^«-----^'^ilpTI1^^ 





poi'iiliyry with IiImiIc spots, wliiidi is slightly convex on the surface, so as 
to iiioji'it ;i littlf iili(i\c till' surface of the wood. In the middle of the 
stone is a cup slia|ii'il cavity one-half inch in diameter and of nearly the 
same ili'iith. This is a rather large mi mthpiece, bein.i^ (i iuches across 
from one end of the arch to the other. 




Tlierc are two ntheispeciiiieiis of the same pattern, both rather smaller. 
No. ,S'.».-Ai;i |.S!)l |. Fi^r. i.-,(). (v,„„ Nuwfik, has the stone of black and white 
syenite. This specimen is very old a-nl dirty, and worn through to the 
stone on rme side, where the teeth lia\e come against it. No. 89787 
[lOOtc]. Fig. I.j.5, is ahiiost exactly the same shape as the tjiK', but has 



I'RILL MOUTIiriEC 



179 

sua). 




for a socket a piece uf iron M inches s(|uarc. IkiHowcc 
Tbe outside of the wood has hccn ]iaintfd willi red <>cl 
mostly worn off. This iiiontlipicce lich)n-vd lo nri'l)w'"a 

Fig. 15G, No. 89505 [802 j, from 
Utkia\-M-tri, represents tlie pat- 
teru which is perhaps lather 
commoner than the ])rececling. 
The wood, which holds the 
socket of black and white sy- 
enite, is simply an elliptical 
block of spruce. The remain- *'" '''' 

ing three specimens are of the same jiatterii and of the saine mat 
the last, except No. .S!l,")(»7 |!tOS|, from Nnwilk, in whi<li tlie wood is d 
As it appears very old, this wood may have come from the rionr. 

When not in use, the point of the drill is sometimes protected wit 
sheath. One such sheath was obtained, No. 89447 [1112], fig- 
ured in Point Barrow Eeport, Ethnology, PI. ii. Fig. 1. It is £\ 
of walrus ivory, 3-6 inches long. The end of a piece of thong 
is passed through the eye and the other part fastened round m i 
the open end with a marline hitch, catching down the end. 
This leaves a lanyard Oj inches long, which is hitched or 
knotted round the .shaft of the drill when the sheath is fitted 
over the point. 

The drills above described are used for perforating all sorts 
of material, wood, boue, ivory, metal, etc., and are almost the 
only boring implements used, even 
awls being unusual. Before the in- 
troduction of iron, the i)oint was made 
of one of the small bones from a seal's l 
leg. Wc obtained four specimens of '^ 
tlicsc hone drills, of which two, at 
t, ajipcar to be genuine. No. 
Fio. i56.-i)riii „M.uthp„;.c« wui,- s'.it'.is |!»,-.(;|, Fig. 157, Is oue of thcse, 

""'"■'"""■ from Nnwiik. The shaft is of the ! 

ordinaiy i)attern and made of some hard wood, but the point 
is a roughly cylindrical rod of bone, expanding at the point, 
where it is convex on one face and concave on tlie other and 
beveled on both faces into (wo cutting edges, which meet in 
an acute angle. The larger end of the shaft has been split 
and mended by whipping it for about three-quarters of an 
inch with sinew braid. No. S'.ioLS [1174], is ai)i)arently also 
genuine, and is like the preceding, but beveled only on the 
cimcave face of the jioint, \\ iiicli is rather obtuse. No. 8951!) j,,„ ,5-_ 
[1258] was made for the market. It has a rude shaft of whale's Ucm'immW 
bone, l)ut a carefully made bone point of precisely the pattern '"""' 
of the mod(>rn iron ones. No. S<.I52() [1 182J lias no shaft, and appears to 
be an old uuliuished drill fitted into a carelessly made bone ferrule. 




IgQ TllK POINT liAKlfOW KSKIMO. 

iicscnt ilav is always woikcd witli a bow. wliidi allows 
I t'orsteadyiiii; IIk' iiicfCdC wdi k. We wfir iiitbmied, 
icrlv a cord was soiiictiiiK'S used without the bow, but 

little handles ofivor.v, carved into some ornamental 

, eye ill t lie iiiidille to wliicli a thong could be attached. 

wi' iie\cr saw tliciii in use. The first two were col- 

leiiod III' oniaci|uaintance with these people, and from 

iwledge of (he language we got the impression that 

to he attached to a harpoon line. 

ng, however in finding out that the harpoon Las no 

lage, and when the other four came in a year later, at a time 

when the press of other work pre- 

\ented careful inqiury into their 

use, \^ e supposed that they were 

nieantfor handles to the linesused 

•^ 1 . jr~3I3 I foi <liagging dead seals, as they 

sonu what resemble such an im- 



The ( 


Irill ; 


It till 


1" 


onehai 


id to 


he us 


.ed 


liowev. 


■r, th; 


it foi 


■nil 


furnish 


e<l w 


itii a 


tr 


\\e ( 


•ollee 


ted s 


i\ 


shape,. 


each 


with 


an 


.Vli wei 


le oh 


1. an 
earb 


'' 


lecte<l ; 
our nil 


perte 


ct k"i 


■' 1' 

lO' 


tliey w 


t'le h 


audi. 


■s 


We 


were 


JH.t 


lol 



C^ 




/^^ -^ phm.'ut. On 

r ts^^-S* ^^*^— --T^ Nv hen [had op 
\^0^ \J ^-^^ i„g a careful 



our return home, 

■ opportunities for mak 

study of the collec 

r\ tion, I found that none of the drag 

Y^^^^^^ ""^^J^^l^r^ lines, either in our own collection 

,, 01 in those of the Museum, had 

handles of this description. On 
the otiier hand, I found many sim- 
ilar implements in Mr. Nelson's 
collection labeled "drill-cord han- 
dles," and finally one pair (No. 
>(!31!), fi-om Kashunuk, near Cape 
liomanzoff), still attached to the 
dull ( ord. These handles are al- 
most identical in shape with No. 




.S!>r).S |h$r)|, lioni I tkiavvMfi. This 


le<i\es no doubt in my mind that 


tlieso(alIe,l"d.aulin. handles" mi 


oui collection are nothing more than 


h inilli ^loi dull (okN. now wholh o 


b-olete and supplanted by the bows 


ill. nh diMlllnd 1 h,\, lum.d 


all si K of these handles to show the 


dllh lent |) lit! Ilisot oin.lIlK lit itloll. 


The\ are all made of walrus ivory, 


and .lie .ill ■ odd" handles, no two 1 


lieiiig mates. Fig. 158a (No. 56526) 


j.Mi|, !-<.-)_' 111. h(. hum, and Imlit bh 


le beads are inserted for eyes in the 


seal's hea.N 1 In ,ve 1, H 


. Old K made by boring two median 


lioles.it the niiddh ot oin ^id. sn tl 


1 It tin \ meet under the surface and 


make a longitudin il • h inm 1 




Tig. l.-)S^(No -,i,->J7 ,j;i Horn 1 t 


ki i\ w Ml), is 4-3 inches long, and is 


vei\ .Kcuiateh i am d into ih, mi 


!!,« ol ,1 man's right leg and foot, 


(liesMd ill a ■-tii|Md d.( iskiii boot 


1 ill ( lid opposite to the foot is the 



"™°°™1 DEILL-COUI) HANDLES. ISl 

head of some animal, perhaps a wolf, with bits of ilaik wodil inl;iid for 
eyes. The eye is a simple large transverse hole tlirou-h Die (hi.'li 

Fig. 158c (No. 89455 [020] from Nuwuk), is 5-0 iiiHu^s Ion-. 'I'h.. ,.y.., 
is drilled lengthwise through a huge Imiip jiroiccfing fidm n,,. middle 
of one side. Small blue beads are inlaid for (lie eyes, and one lo indi 
cate the male genital opening. 

Fig. 158(1 (No. 89-1.5G \m)] from Xiiwftk) is like No. -.(;.-,l'7 |l';i|, but 
represents the left foot and is not so artistically carved. It is .'.-T inches 
long. 

Fig. 15Se (No. 80457 [025] from Nuwfik) is 4-7 inch.'s l,m-, and re- 
sembles No. 894.55 [020|, but has instea.l of tlie seal's tail ainl lli|ipeis 
a large ovoid knob ornamented with incised and blackened rings. The 
"eye" is bored transversely. 

Fig. 158/ (No. 894.5S [835] from ITtkiavwin) diifers from No. .S!)155 [025 j 
in having a transverse eye, and being less artistically carved. Hits of 
lead are inlaid for the eyes. It is 4-4 inches h)ug. The name of tins 
implement is kfiTi-i. 

We obtained six specimens of an old flint tool, consisting of a rather 
long thick blade mounted in a straight halt aliout 10 inches hiug,of 
which we had some difficulty in ascertaining the use. We were at last 
able to be quite- sure that they were intended for drilling, or rather 
reaming out, the large cavity in the Itase of the ivory head of a whale 
harpoon, which fits upon tlui conical tip of the fore-shaft. The shape 
of tlie blade is well fitted for this i)urpose. It is not unlikely that such 
tools, worked as these are, by hand, preceded the bone drills for boring 
all sorts of objects, and that the habit of using them for making the 
whale harpoon was kept up from the same conservatism founded on 
superstition which surrounds the whole whale fi.shery. (See under 
"Whale fishing," where tlu^ sid)ject will be more fully discussed.) No. 
80G2(! |87()|, (igured in I'o.nt Harrow Report, Ethnology, I'l. II, Fig. 4, 
is a typical implcmeni of tliis class (itatui, i'tugetsau'). The blade is 
of black flint, flaked, 2 iiicIk's long, indx'dd.'d in the end of a haft of 
spruce, l()-5 inches long. Th.' l)la(lc is held in place by whii>ping the 
cleft end of the haft with sinew l)raid. 

Two of the othei' specimens. No. SO(;27 |0;J7| and No. 80(528 |012], are 
of essentially the same pattern and material, but have rounded hafts. 
No. 80(120 |0(;()jan(l Xo. .S0(;;.!0 | l()(;s|. Figs. i:,'.)a, 150/;, have blades of the 
same pattern, but have hafts fitted for use with the niouth|iiece and 
bow, showing that somi^tinu'S, at least in later times, these tools were so 
used. No. 80G25 [1217] (Fig. ICO) has no halt, but the blade, which is 
rather narrow in proportion to its length (2-.'$ inches by 0-5), is fitted 
into a shortferruh^ of antler, with a little dovetail on the edge for attach- 
ing it to the haft. 

Of awls we saw oidy one si)ecimen, which, iit>rh;!]is, ought rathei- to 
be considered a little hand drill. This is No. SO.iO.S [1202], I-'ig. Kil, 
from Utkiavwifi. The jioint is the tip of a common three-cornered hie, 



1S2 



sliaipciicd down. 1 1 
tuiiictl :i liylit \ flliiwi 



;AKK0\V ESKIMO. 

ill a liaiidlc of fo.ssi] ivory -niiicb has 
im aac. Its total l<Mii;tli is 2-.S incbes. 



Ilitmmer-^.—.W the picsciit (la.\ iicaih e\('i,\ niau lias been able to 
()io( iiic an iioii b.iiniiu'r of .sonic kind, \\lii('h lie uses ^Mtb great liaiidi 
iu"<'.. I{el()ie tlie iiitioduction of iion. in addition to tlie bone and 
stone mauls al)o\e tU'M iibed ,is boiif t iu^lici->, Ulibalti d \>i bbb sofc on 
\ciiMnl Nliapc \Mie aKo t iiiplou'd. No. .■".(.(>(il I-'TIJ is -il< ii a '^toiu it 

The ends ,11.. I. itt. i. d. -liouiiiu liou ir li id !»< ii u-id. It was bioii^lit 
from one (it iIk i i\t is in tlic iiili iioi 1>\ one ol llu iiatuts ol UtkiaN 

win. 

FiVcs'.— 1 lit s ,,i ,ill KiucK aie eageih s,,i,,lit iltd b\ the natives, 
who use tilt III with \ei V Kieat skill and jiatit m i , iltniii; in ai h all then 
nut il umk with these tools. J^)I iiistanee, 
out |i iitit 111 iih iiijit iiioiis nati\e eon 
\i iti i| his W lilt liestei Idle tioni a iini hre 
tti MtnliaHuewith iiothiiiffbutafile. To f 
thi tills he liad to make a new hiinjj jnii, .is 



.^^fed 



X 



tilt liiiii;; piiiof theiim tiiefiun is toosholt I 
If i< It h the he.id of the eaitiidge. He i 
ittt,iii|,lis|i<.(ltIiisbja((iiiate]jenttingoff^ I 
tiitht iiiopti I. iit;tli.ain>lil woiii outtlnee- 

t tittl lilt lit thtn lilt.] olf mouyh of 

t ith ttUt st, th it tht lotl littdl .\eiil.\ 111 
tht t \liiitlii(,il hole wht ic fh. fiiiiiji ]>iii 
wtiiks ill,. \\,,ik was iloiit. s,, (.ii(.|iill\ 
Ih It tht lit w liiin- pin woik(.<l peitetth, 
hhI ht hitl oiiIn to ttmiplete the job b> 
tiiitiiu titj histtnti il liiecaitiid-e sliells 

w'ttM,..',,',"' '" ■' 1""'"' '"'-"' •" *•> ""■ <li.iinb(i of 

till, fiiiii. 
The.N ha\e almost nt. knowhdu. ot uoikmj; metal with 
the aid of heat, as i. n,t,ii i| imin th, s,,,Hit.v of liiel. ^''^ ""-'"' 

I ha\e, liowe\,.,.sMii il „ml,l\ tmipti small aitieles, sneb as fiie 

steels, etc., bj lualin^ tluin m tlu hu and tiuemhiiig thun lu cold 



WHETS<TO\ES. 



183 



water. One native very neatly mended a nmsket barrel wliicli liad been 
cracked by firing- too heavy a eliarnc. lie cut a section Iron) anotlicrold 
barrel of somewhat larger caliber, which he heated until it had exi)ande(l 
enongh to slip down over the crack, ami then allowed it to shrink (ui. 

Whetstones (ipiksaun).— Knives are generally sharpened with a (lie, 
cutting a bevel, as before mentioned, on one face of the l)ladc only. 
To "set" or "turn" the edge they use ])ieces of steel of various shajies, 
generally with a hole drilled in them so that they can be hung to tlie 
breeches belt by a hiuyard. One man, for iustauce, used about half of 




a razor blade for this jHuiiose. and anotlier a small horseshoe magTiet. 
In former times tliey eiri|i]oyed a very elegant implement, consisting of 
a slender rod of Jade from ;; to 7 inches long, with a lanyard attacheil to 
an eye in the hnger end. These were somctinu's made by cutting a 
liicee from one of the ol<I Jade adzes in the manner alrea<ly .lescribed. 
There ar.' a few of these u hetstones st ill in use at the presi'Ut day, and 
they are very highly i)rize(l. We succeeded in obtaining nine s|,e<-i 
mens, of which No. S'.KJIS [SOI |, Fig. Iti2«, has Ix'cn selected as the type. 
It is of hard black stiuie, probably Jade. ()-.3 inches long. Through the 
wider end is drilled a large eye. into which is neatly spliced one end 
of a stout Hat braid of sinew ii| inches long. 



184 



THE POINT BAKKOW ESKlMl 



The rt'inaiiiiiig' wlictstn 
liavc fijfiiml five of tlieiii. 
r>m;-2 [.i'.rS]. tVomUtkiavw 
ishc.l and 4-1 iiu'lies Idiiy. 



■s arc (>r very imicli the same pattoni. I 
I show the slight variations. Fig. W2h (No. 
) is (if light grayish green jade, smoothly jh)!- 
It is ( liaiiifcred only on the small end at 



right angles to tlie breadth, and lias tin' eye iiroloiiged into ornamental 
grooves on tlie two oi)])osite faces. The long lanyard is of common 
sinew l)raid. No. ."iiKic;; [I'l'li] (from the same village) is of olive green, 
siigliily Iraiishiccnt .ia(h'. (i-S inclics long, and elliptical in section, also 
chamfered only at the small end. The lanyard, which is a strip of seal 
lliong !• inches long, is secured in the eye, as described before, with 
two slits, one iu the standing part through which the end is i)assed 
and the other in tli{> end witli tlie standing jiart i)assed through it. 
Xo. 89017 |li'(ii'| (IVoni Sidaiu) is of olive green, translucent jade, 6-1 




inches long, and si 

end. The ian.> 

knot in (me end. No. .Siini!) | 

translucent jade, .">-l incheslong. a 

elei- being 0-(i inch. Tlie ri]i is gr 

and it has urnaiiienlal grooves lu 

\:m]. 

No. .S!l(L'0[.S(r.|(IVoin Xiiwuk) i 
has the tip tapered olf almost to : 
translucent jade and is 7 inches h 



I'd only at the small 
,\e by a large round 
of bright green, 
sually thick, its greatest diam- 
idually worked oft' to an oblique edge, 
iniiig thnmgh the eye like No. 50662 

* shaiied very much like the type, but 
I point. It is of olive green, slightly 
ng. The lanyard is a piece of sinew 



WHETSTONES TOOI, I!OXE.« 



185 



braid with the ends kuott.-d toj;vtlier and the bi-ht \oo\H'd im,, tlic eve 
A large sky-blue glass bead is slipped on over both parts of the hinyard 
and pushed up close to the loop. Fig. l(j:5rt. (No. SDOi'l [T.-.T], ivoni 
Utkiavwiu) is very short and broad (3-G inches by O-O), is chaiiir.Ted at 
both ends, and has the ornamental grooves at tlie eye. The niaterial'is 
a hard, opaque, bluish gray stone, veined with blaek. 

A whetstone of similar material was brought by Lieut. Stoney from 
Kotzebue Souud. The long lanyard is of sinew braid. Fig. mm (No. 
89622 [951], also fi-om Utkiavwm) is a very small, sleuder whetstone, 
3-3 inches long, of dark olive green semitranslueeut jade, polished. The 
tip is not chamfered, but tapers to a blunt point. It has the ornamental 
grooves at the eye. These are undoubtedly the "stones for making 
. . . whetstones, or tliese ready-made" referred to by Dr. Simpson 
(Op. cit., p. 260) as brought by the Nuuatanmiun from the people of 





Flo. IM— Womlen tool boxes. 

the "Ko-wak Kiver." A few such whetstones have been collected on 
other parts of the northwest coast as far south as the northern shore 
of Norton Sound. The broken whetstone mentioned above is of a 
beautiful bluisli gieen f lansluceiit jade, liits of stone are also used for 
whetstones, such as No. S97Sti [1004/], which belong in Ilu'bw'ga's tool 
bag. They are two rough, oblong bits of hard dark gray slate, appar- 
ently split ofi" a liat, weathered surface. 

Tool boxes and hags. — We collected six si)ccimens of a peculiarly 
slia])e(l long, narrow box, carved from a single block of wood, which we 
were informed were fin-merly used for holding tools. They have gone 
out of fasiii(m at the present day, and there are but few of them left. 
No. 89860 [lir»2]. Fig. 164rt, represents the typical shape of this box. 
It is carved from a single block of pine. The cover is slightly hollowed 
on the; under side and is held on by two double rings of twine (one of 
seal twine and the otlicr of sinew braid), large enough to shp o\er the 



\Xi] 



TlIK POINT r.AIMJOW ESKIMO. 



iMid Kacl. riiis is made by donbliiiy a ]oug i-icie of twine so that the 
two parts are c-(iiial, passiiij;' one end through tin- bi-ht and knotting- it 
to tlie other. Tlie box and cover seem to have been painted inside and 
out with red oeher. On tlie outside this is mostly faded and worn off 
and covered with dirt, but inside it has turned si dark brown. Fig. 1046 
(No. 89S,-)8 [i;Jl!t]. IVom Utkiavwin,) is a simOar box, 21-1 inches long. 
Tlie cover is held on by a string passing over little hooked ivory studs 
close to the edge of the box. There were origiuaUy five of these studs, 
two at each end and one in the middle of one side. The string started 
from one of these studs at the pointed end. This stud is broken and 
the string fastened into a hole close to it. To fasten on the cover the 
string was carried o\'(«- and hooked under the opposite stud, then 
crossed over the cover to the middle stud, then across to the end stud 
on the other side, and the loop on the end hooked onto the last stud. 

No. S98,5!» [VMS] is a, smaller box (19 inches long) of the same pat- 
tern, with only four s| ads. The cover has three large blue glass beads, 




like those used for labrets, inlaid in a line .doiig the middle. No. 89858 
[11111, from Utkiavwifi, is the shape of the type, but has a thicker 
cover and six stud holes in the margin. No. 89861 [1151], Fig. lC5a, 
ft'om the same place, is shaped something like a violin case, 22-2 inches 
long. The cover has been split and "stitched" together with whale- 
bone, and a crack in the broader end of the box has been neatly mended 
'•.V pegging on, with nine little wooden treenails, a strap of reindeer 
antler of the same width as the edge and following the curve of its 
outline. Tliere are torn- studs, two at each end. The string is made 
fast t<t one at the smaller end, carried over to the opposite one, then 
crossed to the oi)posito stud at the other end and back under the last 
one, a biglit of the end being tucked under the string between the two 
lastiiientioned studs. Tiic string is made of sinew braid, rope-yarns, 
and a long jiiece of seal thong. It w as probably at lirst all of sinew 



«''"""'■"] TOOI, ]!OX, TOOL r.ACi. 1^7 

braid, and, gradually growing too short by being broken and knotted 
together again, ^vas lengthened out with whatever eanie, to hand. 

m. 898G2 [1593], Fig. ICob, i.s a large box, of a very peculiar shape, 
best understood from the figure. The outside is nmch weathered, but 
appears to have been roughly carved, and the excavation of the' box 
and cover is very rudely done, perhaps Avith a stone tool. A hole in the 
larger end is mended by a patch of wood chamfered ofl' to fit the hole 
and sewed on round the edges with "over-and-over" stitches of whale- 
bone. The string is arranged in permanent loops, under which the 
cover can be slijjped oft' and on. 

The arrangement, which is rather complicated, is as follows: On one 
side of the box, one-half inch ft-om the edge and about 7 inches from 
each end, are two pairs of holes, one-half inch apart. Into each pair is 
fastened, by means of knots on the inside, a loop of very stout sinew 
braid, 3 inches long, and similar loops of seal thong, 5 inches long, are 




fast(ncdint<) (oiu^-iMindm^ p iii^ ot hoh ■. on tli( otlu i snli 1 piece 
oi sod thong is fisttnid \\itli i 1m( kit hit( h into tin loop ot sell thong 
at tin sin ill end ol tlu box ]iiss(^ thiou„li both bi iid looi)s on tin 
ollui sidi, iiid Is < luiLd o\ti thion^h thi loop ot st il thong at the 
laigecml i lu nid of tin tlioiig is knotted into oni ot the pins of 
holes left by the breaking away of a stitch at the edge of the wooden 



All tlicsc Ikixcs :irc \ciy old and were ]iainted inside with red ocher, 
which has tinned dark brown from age. Tools are nowadays kejjt in a 
large oblong, tlat satchel. ik(ifixbwin, which h 
ivory or bonestret<'lied lengtliwisc^ ai 
are always made of skin with the hai 
heads are the most desired for this 



four such bags. 
The bottom of tl 



X( 



n arched handle of 
the open mouth. These bags 
. and the skins of wolverines' 
^ ose. The collection contains 
■'.)4 [lois]. Fi--. l(i(i. is the type of these bags. 
; a piece of sliort-haired brown deerskin, with 



iss 



ISAKROW E!^ 



the liair dut. iiieci'd across the middle. The. sides and ends are made of 
the skins of four wolverine heads, without the lower jaw, eut off at the 
nai)e and spread out and sewed together side by side with the hair out- 
ward and noses up. One head comes on each end of the hag and one 
on each side, and the spaces betrvveen the noses are filled out with gns- 
scts of deerskin and wolverine skin. A narrow strip of the latter is 
sewed round the mouth of the bag. The handle is of walrus ivory, 14J 
inches long and about one-half inch square. There is a vertical hole 
through it one luilf inch from each end, and at one end also a trans- 
verse hole betwt'cn this and the tip. One end of the thong which 
fastens the handle to the bag is dra\^ai through this hole and cut off 
close to the surface. The other end is brought over the handle and 
down through the vertical hole and made fast with two half-hitches into 
a hole through tiieseptumof the nose of the head atone end of the bag. 
The other end of the handle is fastened to the opposite nose in the same 
way, but the thong is secured in the hole by a simple knot in the end 
above. On one side of the handle is an untinislied incised pattern. 




I I-, K.T No V)77(, 1 1004], is ,1 snnilai bag, made ol ioui wolverine 
hi i(K\Mtli till lowd |i\\s ittidnd 'Ih( bottom is ot stout leather 
witlioiit hail 'Ihe moiilii i-.ti.(| up li\ i l>ir ol tiion^ j) iss, d through 
th. nostnls ot th( two si,l, ii, „ls so ihii II . >ii spi, ,d „pni only 
."bout If iiKh.s jiu 1, „„ii, ,sh,„Mi ni.l lliMnid. ot ^^allus ivory, 
Mid om iiM.nl. d Willi iiiin.is.dl 1, , „„ f,,,, One ( ml is broken and 



t Willi 
tohu 


wh 

( 1). 


11 h is 1 
in ii\ 


)|ss,,l t 
<t.d lo_ 


lilt). 1 


hi. 

1 


h b. I.I 


sslhl, tl, 



till s(.iii,,ii,\ 1 (bims\ ''fishing" of seal 
uli linli sill ih( twopaits ThepuHesseem 

I is mill, ,liillb.n\,Xo V)777 [10046] (Fig. 
bu 111. I. is ni\(t still stu king in the 

'" i\oi\iiii\ lii\( bii.k. II III th. jnocessof 
"" 1 II' li 1- <"o Mill, il lioksateach 

II I- I isii u. (I ii, tin ( 11(1 noscs, both in the 



KIT OF TOOLS. 



top of t h 



189 
This 



median lino and loniod hy a short clian 

baf; was the juoix ity oftlu' Xiiuataniiiiiiii IhibwVa, so lV(M|iifiitly iml-ii- 

tioiRd. and ■\\as inuvliased with all its ccmtciits. 

Tlu s(. aic two l)(.\v drills, one large and one small (Figs. KWa and liii^h, 

Nos. yi77> and ViTT'.i [KHUrtJ); a drill bow (Fig. 154, No. 89777 |l()01/>j) • 
a iiionthplece (Fig. 15,-), No. S07S7 [1004c]); a large 
• rooked knife with a sheath (Fig. 114, No. ,S!I7,S(» 
|1"MI4,/]); afliutHaker (No.S!l7.-.2 flOOlrJ); a .•oiiib Ibr 
Ml d.'crskins (Fig. 1G9, No. .S«,I7S1 [100.5]); a haiivomb 
made of antler (No. .S!t7s5 [Kidfi]); a lishhook (No. 

89783 [10(I7|); and a small seal hariM.on head (No! 

89784 [1008]). 
No. 8979G [1118], from Nnwuk. is of rather unusual 

materials. The bottom is of brown 

reindeer skin and the sides and ends 
are the heads of two wolves and a red 
iilH I/rtIi fox. The wolf heads meet on one side, 

and the fox head is put in between 
them on the other. The fox head has 
no lower jaw, and one wolf head has 
unlythclelt lialf of the lower jaw. The 
Nacant spaees around the month are 
filled by triangnlar gussets of wolf 
and reindeer skin. The eyeholes are ^^^^ ioo_ron.i.f 

itched on the inside with deerskin. dc-.THkins m the 
Jt has no handle. No.S!)7!»5 ] i;](i!i], the '""' '"=■ 
lemaiiiiiig bag, is of the usual pattern, but earelessly 
made of small pieces of deerskin, with a handle of 
coarse-grained whale's bone. It was probably made 
for sale. 

I have figured four handles of such bags to show 
'^ the style of ornamentation. Fig. 170«. (No. 89420 

Fio. i68.-Priii.s belong [1111], from Nuwuk) has incised figures of men and 
ing to tbo tool bag. j.^,i,),|y^.,. „„ the back, once colored with ocher, of which 
traces can still be seen. This is perhaps a hunting score. (vSee remarks 
on this subject under "Bow drills.") Fig. 170/; (No. 89423 [990], from 
Utkiavwifi) is a very elal>orate handle, with scalloped edges and fluted 
back, which is al.so oiiiaiiiented with an incised pattern colored with 
red ocher. The other side is (•(>\-ered with series of the incised circles, 
each with a dot in the center, so frefpiently mentioned. Fig. 170e (No. 
89424 [890], fi-om Nuwuk) has on the under side two rows of figarres 
representing the flukes and "smalls" of whales. This is the specimen 
already mentioned, which the natives called an actual score. The series of 
frn-euty-six tails were said to be the record of old Vuksi'na (" Erksinra" of 
Dr. Simpson), the so-called "chief" at Nuwuk. All the above handles 
are of walrus ivory, and have been in actual use. Fig. 170c- (No. 50513 



I'JO 



nil.NT ISAKKOW ESKIMO. 



l-i:;], from Utkiavwifi) is a handle of dittereut material (reindeer antler) 
and of somewhat ditfo'ciit pat tern. One end is neatly carved into an 
excet'diii^ily accurate iiiia^e of the head of a reindeer which has shed 




^Hfiii^iifi^fg^ii^lif^i^^^a^MB 




Fig. 170.— Bag handles. 

II- mil. I- uilh Miull bliu III ads ml lid for the eyes. The back of the 
ii iiidit i> oiii nut iit((l with 111 iiiciMil pattern colored with red ocher. 
\\e\\(i( told th.it such h.iiidks \mic sometimes titted to the wooden 
lull k(ts. hut I IK M I sn\ one so us( d 

No s'lTMs |107".| I u ITl Is a h^y of rather unusual pattern, the 
oiiU oiii ol tin kind \\t siw lli( l)()ttom is a single round piece, 9 
inches in diameter, of what seems 
to be split skin of the bearded 
seal, flesh side out, and the rest 
of the bag is of white- tanned 
seal leather. The sides are of 
five broad pieces (6, 4J, 4, 5i, and 
5 inches broad at the bottom, re- 
sjiectively, narrowing to L'i, 1^, 
1^, 2, and 2.J, respectively, at 
the top), alternating with five 
J / ^ V ^m straight strij)s, respectively IJ, 

\^»K-._^v^_ ,,^SB 1' -'^i' I4) ^'^^ ^h. inches bi'oad. 

The edges of these strips overlap 
the edges of the broad pieces, 
and are neatly stitched with two 
tine ids, as on tla soks ot (Ik w itd proof boots. The outer thread, 
will, h Is taught 111 the loop ..t L 1. 1, Mitch of the other, is a slender fila- 
int lit ol black w luik boiu 1 Ins juoduces a sort of embroidery. The 
ni.k 1-, stitched to thi bii,' with the same seam, but the hem at the 
iiDiith Is iiKuh iim" i„mi.l with smew. This ba 
ill tools iiidsiiiuhi uti.ks. 




hol.h 



was probably for 



CLUBS. 
WEAPON!^. 



191 



As would naturally l>c cxpiM'tcd iVoiii whar has 
peaceful character of these people, otieiisivi> \v(M|iiiiis, 
for use agaiust men, are exceedingly rare. In case 
of quarrels between indi\-iduals or parties tlic liows, 
spears, and knives intended for hunting or general 
use would be turned against their enemies. Even 
their rifles, nowadays, are kept much more for hunt- 
ing than as weapons of offense, and the revolvers of 
various patterns which many of them have obtained 
from the ships are chiefly carried when traveling back 
and forth between the two \illages as a protection 
against a possible bear. We, however, obtained a 
few weapons which were especially designed for tak- 
ing human life. One of these was a little club 
(ti'glun) (No. 89492 [1310], Fig. 172, from Utkiavwlfi) 
made of the butt end of an old pickax head of whale's 
bone, with the point cut down to a blunt end. It is 
(i-J: inches long and meant to l)e clenched in the 
hand Iikr a dagger, and used for striking blows, prob- 
ably at the f eMi])le. The transverse grooves for haft 
ing give a good hold lor the fingers. This was the 
only weapon of the kind seen. 

We tulltitc d I sjn^h spec imen of a kind of slung 
shot. No. 89472 1 90.". 



f^^ ^ 




in Greenland, 



(1 li, 17 >), nude 
of a roughly ovoid lump of In i\\ bont, 
the symphysis of the lo^\ti pw of i 
walrus, 3i inches long At tin sni ilh i 
end two large hoh s m bond in 
oblicjuely so as to mtt t undi i the sui 
faceandform achannt 1 thiou^h whuh 
is passedaslijx.f whiti m d skin ibout 
1.") inches long, the ( nds of \\hi(h 
fasten together with two slits, so as to 
make a loop. This m i\ Ik tonipiKd 
with the st<me balls usul 1)\ tin uh u nt 
Aleuts for striking a m in on tin tt miile 
The commonest wtapon of oflciise 
was a broad dagger m ide of i boia of 
the polar bear. This w is s iid to la 
esjiecially meant to) killm^ i bid 
man," possibly for «(itiin s]«(ifKd 
offenses or perhaps i IK is, sot iiismitN 

cither dcudtdh idmissi 



isidc 



19: 



HAKKOW ESKIMO. 






ted nv( 



nu'«' bones for these weapons 
|).s haA'ing reference to the 
specimens of these daggers, 
I selected as tlie type. It is 
with tlie neck and c<,nd.vk-s 
cNp<,setlie medullary .'avity 
1. blackened, and cruinbliug 



ble nor altogethei 

points to some saperstilioi 

ferocity of the animal. \V( 

of which No. S!I4.S1 [7(i7|, Fig. 171, li 

tlie distal end of the nlna of a- i»)la 

forming the hilt, and the sli;itl split 

and cut into a]w.inted hliiih'. It is 

on the surface, and is a loot long. 

Fig. 17.'>rt, No. S!il7-"i [!l.s,s|, IVoiii Nuwfik, is made of a straight sitlinter 
fronrthesliartofone.,ftlie long bones. <l^f inches long. No..S<»4.S0 [1141], 
from I'tkiavwin, has a roughly whittled hilt and a soiuewhat twisted 

bladi'. rather narrow, but widened to a sharp lanceolate point 

It is VJ inche.s h)ng. No. S04S1 [1175], from the same place, 
has the roughly shaped hilt 
whipped with two turns of 
.sinew. No. S9482 [1709], Fig. 
175/;, also from TJtkiavwTn, is 
dirk-shai)ed, having but one 
edge and a straight back. 
The hilt, as before, is roughly 
sawed from the solid head of 
the bone. No. S04S5 [9(55], 
Fig. 170, from Nuwuk, was 
also said to be a dagger, but 
could not have been a very 
effective weapon. It is of 
whale's bone, 5 inches long. 
It is rather rudely carved, 
fl "% 1 old, and dirty, but theiu)tches 
th -M on tin; haft are newly cut. 

Dirks or daggers of bear's 
bone, like those described, 
are really rather formidable 
weapons, as it is easy to give 
the splinter of bone a very 
keen point. The Museum con- 
tains a bone dagger curiously 
like th(!se Eskimo weapons, 
but made of the bone of the 
-DisgiTot griz/.ly bear, and used by 
'*""" the Indians of the McChaul 

noithern ralilornia. They believe that the peculiar shape of 
ant, having a hollow (the medullary cjivity) on one face, like the 
o daggers, causes the wound to bleed internally. 




-Bon Hggers 



Ri\( 



Eskiii 



r,-«Uta aud Traditioi 



, p. 35. 



.|.l( in is 


',7 


111 IMWS, SSI 
1 1111(11 


nil 

1 


\ till |M ll| 
1. /•/„,,, 1 
IIIIIU 1. 

lost 111 is 

vcstoldlu 


>l. 

Ill 
11 

III, 



V 



""^■""'"^"■l FIREARMS. 193 

riiOJECTILK \VEAP(.1NS. 

Fir ear 7ns. — W hi w Ih isi mil siinps m in si mi i ihisi 
they had no tin mils hnrili. m \t p iit\ ot u hm s « h,, 
with them (I'lilli II mil I1<m>|m i in Isl'i) toiiml i In < lii< 
of an old 8haK\ niiisk, t ot I lulish nnlu witliih, n mi 
the lock.' Hoop. 1 1). lit \.il this to l)( tlu gun li st 1,\ 
lin's party in Isjf)'' Tins ^miii ^^ is, llo^^( voi oih n s, , 
ofthe P/om- (in f Kt Cipt M uniic k. pt it on I.oikI, 
some time^), ami w is found tohm on tin jo, k Ixsnhs 
nett," also tin d iti lsl{ so tint ot (onisi it u |s 
Armstrong'' also nu ntioiis si . in„ tins ^iin, wlm h, tin iiitiM 
they had proi und "from tht otlu i tiibis to tin south 
ward." In the siimnu r of ls")i tin \ Ix gan to ]mi(hase 
guns and ammunition from tin ( isti in n iti\Ls \ uksina 
and two othei nun ( ai h l)oin,lit i ^iiii this \( n ■> 

Asthewhaliis bt ^ iii (o goto Point J5uI(n^ in ls")4, 
the opportunitv foi obtaining iiu iiins has bun atlouUd 
the natives e\( i\ m ir sunt thtn, so th it tlii\ ait now 
well supplied witli<,iiiis dm th of Vhhik uuninutiituK 
That all their fiHaims h u, n, i h, i n obt iiiu d iiom tins 
source is probabh f-om tin f n t th. \ lii\t still in th. ii j 

possession a immbt r .»( smootliboi. ptniission giiiis , 

double and single bui.hd ot Kiissi m in inufK tin. ^ 

They are all stimixd m IJiissi in with tin n iiir ol Tul i, | 

atownontli. ( »op i lo > mil. s .onth ot Mos.ow, win. h \ "^ 

has received till n nil. ol th. ^h. tin Id iiid r.iiniingham ^ ^3 
of Russia," fi.iiii lis \ast m mill n toi \ ot iims .stibhshul Xi^J^ 
by IVtfrtli.-(.n it 1 in s, ^uiis must lin. , om. tiom pio re -socHid 
the "Xiinataiimiiin who obtiiind th. m dtlui fiom ''v^, ■ ^f ni 
tinr SilMMJan ti id. is .,i iioni th. Uiissi ins at ISwUm S.miid fhioiigh 
the Mal.'iniiit, Hith sinooihbiu and iitled guns aie in gent lal use 
Tliesiiio.)tlil)oits lit ot illsoits iml d(s, ,i],ti(ins tioiii in old lliiitl.>. k 
musket to inoie or Itss \ ilinblt siiuh mid nl li p. i< iissi.m t.)w]iiig 
])ieces. Threeof the n itut s now (Iss^jhn. . h. ip .jonblt bit t.( hloidus 
and one a .singlt biet. lilo i.l. i (mid. b\ [olm 1' Lo\tll, ot Hoston) 
Guns in genei il ir. t illtd '.upiin,' iii onom ito[)<i k woiil ingiiuiil 
use in western Vm.in i but in iii\ ot th. ditltit nt kinds liavt spt 1 1 il 
names. Foriiistmi. iilnilih ^imis. illt d ni ulio'lin (tiom ?«f(f//o,^««) 
The rifles are. iN., <.| m in\ .liil. i. nl pirttins Tin kind piefeiitd bv 
the natives is till oidiiiii\ Win. htstti biass mounttd 1") shot upeatti 
which the whalt is md ti nl. is pint base cheaph at whoks.ile This is 

' Hooper, Tents, etc., p. 2:!9. 

Tranklin, 2d Exp., p. 148. In the hurry ol" l.-avina; Barter Island 'one of the enw of the Reliance 
loft his gun and anminuition." 
'S<m McCIuro'a N. W. Pasaase, p. .igO. 
* Narrative, p. lOil. 
'Maguiro, Further Papers, ji. 9U7. 
9 ETH 13 



194 




TIIK rn 


<mIIi'( 


1 aJamiiilin 


l-tlKit whi. 


mIs.. i 


II the lialiit 


of biiyiii.ir 


Inr 111 


II' An-ric Ir; 


lllc, SIltllMt 


or 111 


rcrliliiailrrs 


;, we s;i\v (li 



;.\i;kii\v i;skimo. 

liftci'ii." sc, sliots). Tlic wiiiilcrs are 
suits (if clicai) 111- scriiiKl-liaiid guns 
other kinds of. !xniis mpc also coiiiiiioii. 
ipc's rillc, savigro'lifi (from a faiiricil 
ivsriiil.laiirr lirlwcrll llir rlooknl Irv.T of this gini ami Mm clookiMl 
knife. savi.uTo'ii); otlicr patleins of Winclirstcr: flic S|,<Mir.T ie|iratcr, 
kai'i.sualiri (from kuiiisi, eail lid-O : tlu' pciailiar Sliaips- llankins, oiirc 
iisimI ill till' r. S. Navy, ami wliieh was tlic fasoritc uca|>oii of tli.' ivlit-l 
Hocrs in South Africa: Hie i'calioily Martini, made in Aiiicrica for the 
Tiirkisli (lovcrniiifiit. markrd on tlir rear siglit with Turkisli figures, 
and. cxposc-d Willi a coiiise at tlie (■cmetery, one English Snider. The 
regulation .Spriii.-field rilles hi'Ioiiging to the post, which were often 
loaned to the natives for the i.urpose of hunting, weie called mukpa- 

ra'lin (from mtikjuim'. 1 k. referring to the lireeeli action, which opens 

like a book). 

They formerly had very U'w iimz/,le loading rifles, lint of late years, 
since the law against trading arms t.i the natives has been eoiistnied 
to refer solely to breech-loading rilles, llie whalers have sold them 
yiiger ritles, of the olil I'. S. Army patlern. fhitleld rilles, ship's mus- 
kets with the Tower mark on them, and a, sort of bogus ritleinade 
esp.'chiUy for trade, in imitation of the old-f ishioned Kentucky rifle, 
but with grooves extending only a short distance from the muzzle. 
They of course deiiend on the shi]is for their su]iplies of ammunition, 
though the Nuuatariniiun soinetimes lning a few cartridges .smuggled 
across from Siberia. They naturally are most desirous to ]n'ocure 
cartridges for the rim tire Winchester guns, as these are not intended 
to be used more than once. They have, however. inviMiled a method of 
priming the.e rim-tire shells so that they can be reloaded. A common 
••(I. I)." perciLssion cap is neatly htted into the rim of the shidl by 
cutting the sides into strips which are folded into slits in the .shell, 
a little hole liejiig drilled under the center of the cap to allow the flash 
to reach the powder. This is a very lab,, i ions process, liiit enables the 
natives to use a rille which would otherwise be useless. Such ear- 
t ridges reloaded with powder ami home made bullets— they have many 
bullet molds and know how to use them— are tolerably eliective. Great 
care must be taken to insert the cartridge right side up, so that the 
cap shall b.' struck by the liring pm, w hich interferes with using the 
gun as a repeater. 

They are very careless with their ritles, allowing them to get rusty, 
and otherwise niisiising them, especially by tiring small shot fr.uii them 
111 the duck sh,,oiiim seas.m. As a rule they are very fair shots with 
Hh' rille. but extremely lavish of aniiniinition when they have a .sup- 

!''>• ■'■'" lyei'onomy is shown in reloadinu cartrid-es and in loading 

their .shotgiuis, inio which they seld ml a suflicieiit charge. In 

Kliiteof this someof Iheiii shoot very uell with the .shotuun, though 
unmy of them show great stupidity in judging di.stauee, tiring light 



FIKKAKMS lioWS. 1 <)r, 

harges of shut at sliort rillc niii-c (I()(i f,, l'oo yards). Tli.ai-li tli.'v 



mold their own Imllcts, I liasi 
making shot or slii-s. Tliis. wii 
from kri'kni, oriiiinalh- lucaiiin-- k 






"rand now us.., 1 for /,«//r^ as well) 



is always oljtaincd fioni flic wliitcs. Tin' -iin is MaiiitiialU cairii'd In 
case or holster Ion-- enou^lL to r<i\iT the wliole nun, made of sealski 



ither hlaek-tanne.l or witl 



dside. This, like 



by a tlion- passin.u round the should, as an.l aen.ss the ••h.'st. 
This is th,. nu'tl,,,,! uuiv,Msally |Marti,..,l fur ,.arrvin- Imnhais of all 
s,.rts. Th,' l.utt ,,f th.' -un is ,ui th.' ri-ht si.l,', s,. that it eau h.-easily 
slippe.l .nit of th.' In.lst.'r nml.'r 11,.' ri-ht arm without unslingiug it. 
Revolvers ar.' als.. .'arri.-.l slun- in Indst.'rs .,u the l.aek in the same 
way. Ammunition is .'arri.-.l in a \nmrh slung ..v.-r tlu' shonl.ler. 
They are eareless in han.Uing tin'ainis ami ammunition. We knew two 
men who shot off the ti|i of tl,,' Ibrehn-er while liliui^- eartrid^'es wliich 
hadfaile.l foex],l.,dein th.. gnn. 

Wli a I i, I n ;i mix. —In ad.lifi.m to th.' kin, Is, if lirearms tbr laml hunting 
al>ove (l.'serihL'.l a numh.'r of the natives have procured fr..m the 
whalemen, eith.'r liy imrclias.' ,)r li-om wrecks, whaling guns, such as 
are used by th,' Am,'ri<-an whah'rs, in place of the steel lance for dis- 
patching the whah' alt.'i- it is haip.i.m.'.l. These are ..f vari.ms ])at- 
terns, both mu/./l.' an.l lir.'.'cli l.ia.ling, ami th.'v ar.' able t.) procure 
nearly every year a small supply .)f th,- explosiv,' laiu'cs t.. be sh, it from 
them. They use fh.'in as th.' wliil.' m.'u .lo Ibr killing harpooned whales, 
and also, when th.' h'ads uf op.'u wal.'iare narrow, for shooting them as 
they iiass.'l.ise (., th.' .'.Ig.' of the ic,'. 

iioirs (in:i'l.-sr).— \u Ibnn.'r tim.'s fh,' b.iw was th.- ..nly pr,.i,'.-file 
weap.in whi.-h these p,'opl.' p,>ss.'ss.'.l I hat .'laihl be use.I at a l.>ng.'r range 
than the "dart" of a harp.i.m. Il was a.<'.)i-dingly nse.l f.wr hunting 
the bear, the w.df, ami the ri'imh'.'r, Ibr sh.ioting birds, anil in case of 
necessity, for warfar.'. Il is w.nlliy .if n.)t.', in this connecfi.in, as 
sh..wing that th.' us.' of th.' b.,\\ tbr lighting was only a scc.in.lary con- 
si. 1. 'ration, that non.'.ifIh.'iran-.)\\sai-.'r,'gular -war arrows" liketlL.se 
ma.lc b\- the Si. MIX or otli.'i- In. Hans; that is, arr.iws t.) b.'. sh. it with the 
bi-eadlh .if 111.' Ii.'a.l h.iiizontal, so as to pass b.'tw.'.'U the iioriz.infal 
ribs of a man. Kir.'arms liav,' n.iw alnmst ,',iin]il,'t.'ly supcrse.l.'d th.' 
b.iw for a,'tual w.irk. though a few men, t..o po,.r t.i ..btain guns, still use 
tli.'in. 

bii-.ls ami pra,'ti,','s al marks. \','i\ f,'W buys, li.iw.'ver, show any great 
skill with it. \V,' ii.'N.'i- ha.l an .ipp.irtuiiity .if s.'.'ing an a.lidt sh..ot 
with the b.iw ami airow: but th.'y liav.' not yet lost the art .if bow- 
making. The n.'wcst b.iys" li.iws ar.' as skilltidly and ingeiii.iusly con- 
structed as th.' .ilil b.iws, liiif are <if .'.iiirse small.'r an.l weaker. The 
bow in use among these pe.iple was the universal sinew-backed bow of 



I'.k; 



tl.c Kskiinocanicdl.. its in- 
I have callfd tlif -Anti.- typ 
tr(mi4;? to--)!' iiiclifs in Ifiiutl 
till' back tliaii on ih,' l»-lly. ai 
haiulli-. The -ical.-sl hivacl 
thickness at tiic iiai 



I'OINT I'.AIUJOW ESKIMO 
hi-licsl (h-ivc ofcllicicn 



' It was of what 

her shdit liow of spruce, 

1 ill section, but flatter on 

anil slijihil.\ narrowed and thickened at the 

nlth was usually about 1^ inches and the 

)iit three fourths of an inch. The ends were 



often bcutui) as in the Tatar bow, and \M're sonietiiiies separate pieces 
mortised on. Stren.uth ami elasticity was.i;iven to tlic brittle spruce 
by ap]ilying a iimnber of strands of sinew" to the back of the bow in 
such a way that draw in.u the bowstrin.u stretched all these elastic cords, 
thus addiii.u- their elasticity to that of the wood. This backing was 
always a conlinnous ]iiece of a three ply braid of sinew, about the size 
of stout iiack thread, and on a hir.ue bow often 40 or 50 yards long. It 
bean, as on all Ivskiiiio bows whi<-]i 1 have been able to examine (ex- 



b 



Flit. 177.— Hoy's 



LaA\Teuce Island and 
with an eye at one ei 
usually the upper. Tl 
.11- strands riiniiin- u 



mainland of Siberia— 
■ th.' cord h.oped over 
id N\as then hud on the 
d down and round the. 



nocks, as usual on the other ty]ies of bow, but alter imttiiig on a num- 
ber of these, bcuan iiiniiiiig backward and forward between the bends 
(if the liow was of the Tatar shape), or between corres](onding points 
on a straight bow , where they were fastened with complicated hitches 
around the bow in such a way that the shortest strands came to the 
top of the backing, which was thus made to grow thicker gradually 
toward the middle of the bow, where the greatest Strength and elas- 
ticity were needed. When enough strands had been laid on they 
were divided into twocpml parcels and twisted from the middle into 
two tight cables, thus greatly increasing the tension to be overcome in 
drawing the b(.w. These cables being secure<l to the handle of the 
bow, the end of the cord was used to seize the whole securely to the 



This s.M/.ing and I 
the backing very tl 
and preventiiig tin 
powerful bow, <apa 
t«ld l)v a reliable u: 



itches already mentioned served to inccn'poratc 
ghly with the bow, thus eiinalizing the strain 
Iroiii c-racking. This made a very stiff and 
f sendiii- an arrow with great force. We were 
that a stone headed arrow was often driven by 



I'liort fur 188J, 



MURDOCH. ] 



BOWS. 



197 



ncd: Our tVoiu 
'III Siihivii. 

Nu.sil'.XM |7S<;| 
lie tvp. th ui tl 

d.s.nptnni I 



fhci 



Niiwi 



issiiu rli 



one of tlie.sf hows wlioUy tin 

Three bows only were olit:i 

van (a lad's bow), and one IV 
The bow from T"tkia\ win 

is in some res]i<'cts iiearci- 

two, and has liecii sclccti'd tn 

of the bow is a sinylc ))ii'( ( 

spruce driftwood .'{(ii inches 1 

flattened more on the back t 

tapered to tiie imcks. wlii( 1 

knobs, and nairowcd and rl 

The backinji- is of round thi 

onecontininms piece. Tlic s 

braid with a loo]) at each end 

knot in the standini;- ]iart, ] 

thisandtakinjijilialf hitch w 

part (Fi- ITS). Tlic nj.pcr l,M,p is i httl( tlu 1 lui i i 
No. ,S!l-'t5 |L'.-.J (Fi- 17!(), lioni Nuwuk, is i full 
sized man s bo\\ , which is ohl lud 
las l)ccn loiu in use. It is of tin 
same matdiil, and is 47 i iiKhts 
ion.u-. its ^i< itest lu( idth is 14, a 

Fio. i78.-i.oop, It .11.1.. 1- inches, and it is s mdi thii k it 

bowstring. thchaiKih 1 1 is sluhtU 11 lUOW ul 

and fliinned oil' from the hiouhst put to about (. 
inciies from each tip, and is tin n ^i idu dl\ thi< ki nc d 
to the nocks and heiit U|. s,. fji it tin < nds m lU in 
allele of about I.', witli the ln.w w li. nunstiiiiu lln 
emls arc separate pieces tittid on it tin Ix nds The 
eiidsoftliel)odyarecliamfei((lott I itn ilh to l\\(d^t i 
which flits into a corresiiondin^ not( li in tin tud jiu ( < , } 
making a scarf :! I inches loiu w iiidi is stii iutli< m d I 



. 1h11\ It IS 
11 .lulislnp.d 
It tli( Jinidl. 
lid ot siiuw in 
K.iind loin plv 
t\iiu I Mll^h 
(lid thioiuli 
dtln stindiiu 



est in the middle, littin.^' into t 


lu hill 


I on th. huk r 


1 


Tlieji>illt is held t.i.uetlicr uliol 
We never saw hows of this | 


\ h\ tl 
itti ill 


. hnkiiu f 
11 1.1. ind<..n f" 


/ 


se(|uently did not learn how th 


hUKll 


u " i'^ i..om r 


t // 


pli.shed. Tlie method is jnoh 


hl\ th. 


sun. isthit 


i 7 


seen by Cajit. lieechey in ls_'( 


It W> 


t/. hii. s.iiin.l 


i 


(Voyage, p. r,7.".). The liow \ 


\ IS Wl 


ipp..l 111 W.t F„i 


i-I 11 1 «fr ni 


shavings and held over tin 1 


u ind 


th.n iM.^t.l 


\ ( il 


th)wnon the ground (]irohahl\ i 


n OIK s 


.1. 1 Illt.l shllX 


\ stiijiol law 


llide (thes|)lit skin of the h( il 


hds, , 


With th. ^1 nil SI 


h'.Mit), 1 imli 


wide, runs along the hack tioni 


iMlld t 


) h( 11.1 nndd the 1 


i.ukiiii;. The 


ciiief pecnliarily of this how is t 


lu thlK 


1. ihl. ih.,\, til. < 


)tlKi two, and 



the great and aiijiarently unnccts&aij eomplicatiou ot the hitthtb. 



igg Tlir. rOINT ISARROW ESKIMO. 

No. TiTTl [2.31 1. I'loiii Si(hini (I'iii. l.^Ort and li). is ;i liow witli Ix'iit 
eiMl.s'lila. the last, hut all in oiw picci. ami sinall.T. Its Icu.-tl. is l.i^, 
mchfs ami its j;icatcst bicailtli I;\. The baddii,';- has only two <-ahlfs, 
aii.l its rhicf pc.-uhaiity is in haviii- tii.- loos,. .-n-I of the last strand 
),„„„„.■ of Ilir .'allies, uliih' tlie seizin- of the same jiatteni as 
,. of a sepal ate pieee. Tiie workmanship of this 
how is partieularly neat, and it is furtlier 
ij ^\ stren.ulheiied with strips of rawhide (tlie skin 

1 \\ of the I.earded seal, sjilit), under the baeking. 

'' '^-^ The method of making the string- is very inge- 

nious. It ajiiiears to have been made on the 
IS follows: llaviiii; th,. bow sprung back 
11,1 of a long jiiee,- of sin,-w twin,- was 
fast t.Miiporarily t, I th,' iqiper iio,'k, leaving 
1 long ,Miough to liiiish od' the bowstring, 
tliereml was carried roiinil the lower noek 
and the returning straml iialf-hitched round 
the first snugly up to tii,' n,i,'k, and then carried 
round the ujiper no,'k anil back again. This 
was reii,'at,'d. ea,h stran,! being half-hitched 
round all tli,' ]ii,'e,',ling at th,' lower nock until 
there were eight parallel strands, and an eye 
fitted snugly to the lower nock. Th,- bight was 
then slipped off the upper no,'k, the end untied 
and the whole twisted tight. This twisted 
string is now about 2 inches too long, so the 
uiiiier eye is made by doubling over 2 inches 
the enil and st,ipiiiiig it down with the free 
iitiiiiieil all, IV,'. thus making a long eye 
of seven strands. With the end, six similar 
strands ■.m- ailde.l to the eye, each being 
stoiiiied to th,- twist with a half hitch. The 
end is ni'atly tiu'ked in and the strands of the 
eye twist, mI tigiitly tog,.ther. 

In my jiajier on Kskimo bows, already men- 
tioned, I cam,' to th,' I'oiM'lusiou that the bows 
formerly us,',l by the Eskimo of western North 
America an,! the (ijiposite ,'oast of Asia were 
eonsti'ucteil iiiMiii thre,' well defined tyjies of 
definite geographical distribution, ami lach easily recognized as a 
deveh.pment of a simple original type still to be found in liatlin Land 
in a .slightly modificl tbrm. Tlies,. three types are: 

I. Th,' SoiHh,'rn typ,'. whi.'h was th,' ,iniy form uscl fn.m the island 
of Kadiak to Cap,' I'oman/otV. ami continued in freipient use as far as 
N.irton Sniuid. Ilioiigli s.'para,t,'(l by m, l,ar,l ami fast line frnm 

II. The Arctic type, t,i which the bows just described belong, in use 




-Large bn 



MURDOCH.] BOWS. I no 

from tlic Kaviak p.-iiinsuhi tn the Mackon/.ir an.l Ainlnsoii nvcis; an.l 
HI. TIm- Western tyi)i-. cimtiiit'd to St. I.awrciirc Island and llir main- 
land (d'SilM'ria. 

I liavf shown liow tln-sr thn'c tyi)rs dilVcr IVom carli odi.a- and iVom 
the orij;-iual type, and have cxprcssi^d tlic opinion thai tliesi> ilinricnccs 

result from tlie dittereiit resonn-e^ at the c mand of the people ofdif 

ferent rei;-ions. I ha\'e also enih-a\iired to areoiuit foi- the laet that we 
find sporadic exaniiiles of the Aivtie type, tor instance as far soutii as 
the Yukon, by the well known habits of the Eskimo in rc.uaid to tiad 
inj;- exiieditions. 

Outside of the re-ion treated in my itajier above ref.ared to, there 
is very little mafiaial for a comparative study of Eskimo bows, either 
ill the .Museum or in the writin-s .,f travelers. Most writers have eoie 

tented themselves with a casual reference to some of the iv salient 

peculiarities of the weapon without j;ivin,u any detailed intbrmation. 
rH-iniiin.u- at tlie extreme north of (ireeidand. «e lind that Ihcso-calh'd 
"Arctic Ili-hhiiiders" have hardly any knowled-,. ,,f tlie bow. Dr. 
Kane saw none dnrin.u his inleicoiirse with them. Imt Dr. Kessels' men. 
tioiis .seein-- one bow. madi' of iiieces of antler spliced together, in the 

liossessi f a man at Ita. In Danish (livenland. the use of the bow 

has been aband mI lor many \cars. Wlien ( 'rantz- wrote it had already 

.i;-one out of us.., thon-h ill lyued.'-s^ time it w.is still employed. It ap- 
liears to have been lon-erthan the other Eskimo b,,ws. IS'ordenski.ihH 
re|.roduc.-s a pictured' a -r.,np of (ircailandcrs from an ,.ld paintiii- 

of the date of K;.-. I in the EtI -raiihical Mns.mm of Copeiiha-en. The 

man holds in his left hand a strai-ht bow. which apiiears to have the 

the end (-allies, and yet twiste.i into two caldes. If this representation 
be a correct one, this arran-cmciit of tli.' backin,;;-, taken in c<miieetion 
with what ('rant/, and IC-cde say of the -reat len-tli of the bow, would 
be an ar.i^nment in favor of my theory that the St. Lawrence Island 
bow was developed li-om the iirimifnc to. ni b\- hMi-rlieniii- the ends of 

the bow without Icn.ut lieiiin- the baikin,-. Tlie additi f the end 

cables would then be an after invention, peculiar to the western bow. 
In rUilfin Land the bow is very rudely made, and aiiproaclies very elosely 
to my supposed primitive tbrm. Owin.u to the searcity of wood in this 
re-ion 111.' bow was fr.-.pi.aitly iiiad.'..f r.amh'.'i' anth-r. a substan.-.' still 
nioiv unsuitable tbr tli.- purpo.se than th.' solt .■..nifer.ms wo.ids u.s.'d 
elsewh.av. 'I'll. 're are ill the .Musenm Ihiv.' sp.'cimcns of siieli antler 
bow.s, br.m-hl fr ( 'iimberland (iiilf by Mr. Knmlieii. 



s-'l'lii.ir liow i.sof iiu orcliinii-y M.i 
.•»lrenKtli<-iuMl with Strms:.s iiuirlr d Si 
fatlioiTi tmi','." Ci-i-i-iilaml, p. l"l. 

*Vo}'age of the Vegu. v.il. I. p 41. 



2()0 TIIK I'nlXT HAKRDW KSKIMO. 

Tin- first mention ol'tlif Kskiniobow with sinew liMckin.u- will be found 
in Fiobislit'i-'.s account of his visit to Mcta Incn-niia in b"»77:' "Their 
bowcs are of wood of a yard Ions, sinewed "" "i'' '''"k with stronj;- 

sinewes, not ;L;lned t lint fast .girded and tyedoii. Tiieir bowe striugs 

are likewise sinewes." 

Of the liow used at the straits (if Fnry and Ileela we have a most 
e\e.-llent tij;ure in Parry's Second Voya-e (I'l. opposite ],. .-..-.( », Fi-. 2L'), 

faet, as exact a descripti«ai as could lie made from an' external examina- 
ti,,nofIhe bow. From the li-ure the bow apiiears to have been abnost 
of the arctic ty|ie. havinu an uiiusnal number of stranils (sometimes 
sixty, )•.. "ill) which are not. ho\vev»>r, twisted, but secured with a sjiiral 
wrai>pinji-,as()n soul hern liows. The backin.ii' is stoiijied to theliandle, 
hut not otherwise seized. It ajijiears to have been rather a larj;e bow, 
as I'arry i;ives the length of one of their best Iiows, made of ii single 
piece of lir, as ■• 1 feet S inches" (p. ."ilO). "A bow of One piece is, 
however, \'i'r\- rare; they neiH'rally consist of from two to five pieces 
of hone of uneipud lengths, fastened together by rivets and treenails" 
(p. .".II). I'arry also speaks of the use <,f wedges for tightening tlie 
backing. Schwatka' sjieaks of the Netyillk of King Williams Land as 
using l)ows of spliced jueces of mnsk-ox horn or driftwood, but gives 
no further description of tliem. Ellis^ describes the bow in use at Hud- 
.son's ytrait in 1740 as follows: 

Tlii'ir Kreatest Iiif;i-niiity is sli.uvn in tlio .Strmturp oftlicir I'.nws. m.iilo commonlv 
artli.coric,vsor\V,KKl. ,-;i,1m,i ^ l,, ■ ., ,,,,i ..(>]„ .:,uu- a,-.],. ,rv, in.rlv.-UHl.-xiictly 

.jcincl t..-..tl,l-r. Tl.ryalv ,,,::: :,! , ,,, |.;,,,1,. ulurl, ll„. Kll^l'isl, t ll.TC rail 

.lm,ilM.,-.:„Hlastlus«a„I.S,,,. ^i', unM.l.^inMN. 11,,^ su|,pl> Ih.iI, l.yl.rariui^tlie 
liack.it'tlu. How Witt, a kih.l ,.i li,,, ,,,!„. Lun- i,.a,l.- „r tlic .Siu.-w .U thi-ir Deer, .aud 
the liowstriu^'oftlir saiiir matirial. To make them draw more stiffly, they (lip them 
into Water, which ^au^,■^ l.,,tli tlic- liack of the Bow aud the String to contract, and 

Ellis's figure (plate opposite p. 132) shows a bow of the Tatar shape, 
lint gives no details of the backing, except that the latter appears to be 

twisted. 

We have no |iuhlished descri]itions of the bows used in other regions. 

As f-ar as I have heeii al.le to ascertain, the practice of backing the 
bow with cords of sinew is peculiar to the Eskimo, though some Ameri- 
can In.hans stiffen the liow by gluing flat pieces of sinew upon the 

One tribe of Indians, the '-Loucheux" of the Mackenzie district, 
however, used bows like those of the Eskimo.s, l)ut Sir Alexamler Mac- 
kenzie' expressly states tliat these were obtained from the Eskimo. 

' riatsluyt's Voyivgcia. 1589, p. 62«. 

^SciiMi.-o, vol. 4, 98, p. 543. 

' Voy.-i^'f to Iludsou'a Hay, p. 138. 

•CoMiparo what I hav,. alntaily s.iid ahnut tl„. l,a.kin<' bcin^' p.it on wet 

•Voyages from Montreal . . . to tht- l.-n,.ou and Pacific^Ocoans, p. 48. 



sirHDocH.] ARROWS. 201 

,4,vvwr.v.— Witli these bows were used arrows of various patterns 
ada]iteil for diliereiit kinds of name. Tiierearein llie collection lifly-oiie 
arrows, Avliich are all about the same len.utli, 'St to.".(i indies. In describ- 
ing these arrows I shall em]doy tin- terms use<l in modern arclu'iy' for 
the parts of the arrow. The f;reatest variation is in the shape and size 
of the pile. The stele is almost always a, straii^ht c.s liiidrical rod. 
almost invarialdy d^ inch in diameter, ami ran.uini;- in lenyth fiom I'd 
to 1-*.S inches. Twenty-live inches is the commonest length, and the 
short steles, when not intended for a hoy's bow, arc gem'rali\- fitted 
with an unusually long ])ile. From the l)e,giniiing of the feat iiering the 
stele is gradually flattened above and below to the nock, wiiich is a 
siuii)le notch almost always 0-2 inch wide and of the same depth. The 
stele is sometimes slightly widened .just in front of the nock to give a 
better hold for the fingers. The feathering is (i or 7 inches long, con- 
sisting of two, or less often, three feathers. (The set of sixteen arrows 
from Sidaru, two from Nuwuk, and one fi'om Utkiavwifi, have three 
feathers. The rest of the fitty-one have two.) The shaft of the feather 

ol till h ithdsaH liMtmdto ~>!r^rr 

till ><t.h Wlthwhippm^sol tllK H IM-liitl 1.1 1 1, irr « 

sun w tilt -m ill < nd ot tin tt itln i xvlinli oi < ouise, ( omcs at th(> inxk 

b( iiu oliMi \\(<U(d into I sht m tin w l(\\itha sptud tool to be 

descriDed below), or else douDied bade over a few tmiis ot tiie wiup- 
ping and lashed down witii the rest. The small end of the feather is 
almost always twisted about ime turn, evidentl.y to make the arrow 
revolve in flight, likc^ a rifle ball. Generally, if not universally, tlie 
feathering was made of the feathers of some bird of prey, falcon, eagle, 
or raven, ]»robably with some notion of gi%ing to the arrow the death- 
dealing quality of the bird. < )ut of the fifty-(me arrows in the collec- 
tion, only niiu' are featliercd with gidl's feathers, and of these all but 
two are new. or newly featliercd for sale to us.- Dr. Simiison'' says that 
in liis time '■ feathers for arrows and head-dresses." probably the eagles' 
feathers ]ircviously mentioned, were obtained in trade from the "Numi- 

Foiir kinds of arrows were used: the bear arrow, of which there were 
three varieties, tlie deer arrow, the arrow for geese, gulls, and other large 
fowl, and the blunt headed arrow for killing small birds without man- 
gling them. 



' KnivclMiifitia Britannic-i, 9tll cjitiou, article Arclit-r.v. 

2 Oil tliis siilyci-t of usinj;tlio fmtliers of Ijirds ofprc.v for-irrows, comp.ire Crantz, History of Green, 
laiiil, i, 11.116, "the arrow . . . winged lieliind wltli a couplo of raven's feathers." Beasels, 
Naturalist, vol.18, pt. 9. p. »r,9 (tin. three arrows at Ita had raviMi's featliers). Parry,2d Voyage, p. 
511, "Toward tlio opposite end of the arrow are two feathers, senerally of the spotted owl. not verj- 
nratlyl.-i.shedi>n;"and Kun.lien, Contrihutions, p. 37, "The feather-vanes were nearly .always ni.-ide 
from the primaries ..f Strix >^canduica or Cracuhis carbn." The last is the only mention I tind of using 

'Op.cit.,p.260. 



;iMO. 



live kinds, ill! haviii.ii a broad, sliai'i) pile, 

.a pil.M.fllak.Mltliiit,caIl.Mlkrd^ic-,-law" 

ki'ksaiUin ("provided or titled witliclaw 

ivrei-lit,-oin]ilctc arrows and on.- shaft. 

No. SOLMO |l'.">]. FiJ,^ 1^2, will srr\c as tlir type. The pile is ,,f hla<'k 

Ilinl.doal.le.Ml-ed ami sharp |M,inle<l, 1' inches ]on-, with a short tan- 

ins.-rled into a elell in the end of the stele, and seeiired hy a \vhipi)iii,i; 



Uiiir tirraics. — Tliese are n 
ol-t.'iil.arl.ed. The lirsl kind 
(U-'-nair'i.aiul waskiiowna: 
material"). Of this kiml w. 



ioiif: and four-teiiihs 
the featheriiij; to.", im 
those of the ^yrfalei 



"^m 



1 



X (kuliiksa.llln). 

nil jiainted with red oeher from 

The three feathei-s, apparently 

s siin],ly whipped to the stele. 

This is one of the two arrows 



from Nuwuk witii Ihice fealhers. 

-J. Xo. 7-'7SO [L'.-Ji ,(], from Sidarii. is feathered with three 

'-^ rawn feathers, of which the small ends are wedded into 

' ' slits in the wood. The pile is of brown jasper, long and 

lancet tip|ied, expamlitig into roiiii(U'd wings at each 

Mile of the base. The stele is peculiar 

;,-_'i, only in bein,^ sli^hlly widened iu front i 

\"'^' "I' tlit^i""-!;- It is of pine, 20-8 inches ,[ 

' 'i« '""^' '""^ l''iiiif''<l \\itli two rings, one , ' , 

t)^P " '' """^ '""'' S'^'^''^'"- •''^ *^''*' "litltlle of the /'', ' 

.fip feathering. (-fj^^^ , , 

'-iiS '''''*^' ""'•^' '*''^"''*'""^ "f iin]iortanee in 1)^'" ''' 

i:^;^j thesearrowsarein theshaiieof the iiile, '"^ / 

' -j^ which is made of black or gray rti.it, or jf, | | 

';;■:« less otlcn of jasper, mostly variegated, L: /, V 

brown and -ray. There ar.- lour pat- \i\ V U^ 

tertis to be fonnd in the .seri.'S of eight ^ (p 

arro\vsaiHltwenty-twostoiie],iles. The ]^ \'^ 

first is long and narrow, like N,,. .".(iTIU 

[l':!l.'l, Fig. is;',, fr rtkiavwin, whi.'h 

is of gray Hint. The Tie\t is similar in '"'" 

sha]ie, but shorter, as shou ii in Fig. isi' (Xo. S'L'KI [_',-)], 
from Nuwuk), which is only l' indies Ion-, . \, bisne of 
Ihetan.-. Thethirdiiattern. whi.Oiish.s^c,,,,,,,,,,,, tl,.,,, 



[•10 ls4 — sliolt Ull 



Vv. \<: -l.„„^iiiut 


the others, is aboi 
in shapi' (Fi- ls| 


il tin 
, No. 


■ si/.e 


of the last, but rhomboidal 
'■ [titr], from I'tkiavwin, of 


fourth kind is 
irieli tan- biii 


"'m:;';:;;,.::;::;:i,: 


.n Mil 
it o\i 
ck an 


:;;;I 


Iher coarsely rtaked). The 
inches, inclndiiig the half- 
ivex on both faces. It is 


[ll3/>], from n 


kiavwh-i, newly ma 


id Cll 

de lo 


rveil 
r sale 


edges (Fig. 185, No. 5C7026 

). 



ARKOWS 



203 






No stoiio arrow I ir dart lic;i(ls made by ilicsc iicdplc h; 
like barbs except tlie siiuare slumlders at lli.' lias( . Tlie, 
to have attained to tlie skill in Hint-workin.i; wlii.-li 
enabled many otlier savages to make the lieautiriM .- 
barbed heads so often seen. To keep the Hint !iea(h'(l ^ 
arrow ft-oni droppin.ii out of the woun<l tliey hit npon 
the contrivance of nionntin.i;- it not directly in the stele 
bnt in a pieceof bone iijion which barbs could he cut. , 
or, as is not unlikely, having; already tlie deer arrow 
with the barbed head of antler, they added the timt 
head to tliis, thus condiiniu-- the peuctiation of the 
tliut arrow with the holdin,;; power of the oilier. 1 ,.,„, ,«•, ^h,..,,., «i,. 
was at first inclined to think that this iiiece of bdue ti.ni Imi,/"'''""' 

bore the same relation to the rest of the arrow as the fore sliatt of 
many Indiau arrows, and was to be cuiisideied as i>art of the stele. 
(Jousideriuf-', however, that its sole function is to furnish the pile with 
barbs, it evidently must lie considered as part of the latbM'. I shall 
designate it as ••after-iiile.'' Arrows with this barbed '•after-pile" form 



Fio. lS6.-Anow3: (a) Annw witli -afli- 
(cl :iiT(iw Willi iriiii \>\\k (saviclUu) ; (J) an 



h) urn.w -n-itl. iron pit.- (saviilliD; 
.i.lllfil; (.XlnT-arn.M (nutl.,.,llin). 

(1 iimdli'-adlii-i ("havin- 



the secoiiil kiiul of bear arrows, winch a: 

iron tiii|). Alter the iiitiodiiclioii of iimi. metal piles soiuetimes le- 
placcd the Hint in arrows of this kind. We collected eiolit with fiuit 
and two with metal [.iles. No. IL'TST [L'.lb/j. Fi.i;. 1S(;«, has been select e<l 
to illustrate this form of arrow. This pile is of -i-ay flint \\itli the tan- 
wed-'cd by a slip of sealskin into the tip of the after-pile, which is 
cleft to receive it and kept from siilittiii-- by a whippin- of sinew. 
The after pile is titled into the ti). of the stele with a nuiiiiicd sharp- 
pointed tan-, sli-htly enlarged just above tiie tip. It is of reindeer 



ISARKinV ESKIMO. 




ilofs not differ fniiii thosf 


provimisly 


uud is leatlifRMl with tliivi 


L' .uyiliilc.,,, 



2(»4 Tin: i'"i^"i 

uiill.T. Till' rest (.r tlif aiTo\\ 
.U'scin.c.l. Th.- sl.'l.- is ot pill 
Icatlii'is. 

Two otiiers from Sidaiii liavc only a siii^lf^ barb on the after-pile, but 
the ctlier four have two, one bcliiiul the other on the wanie side. No. 
SIL'.M \\M]. IVoiii nkiavwifi. dittcis in no respect from the single-barbed 
Mini arrows fnuii Sidarii, but No. Tl'TIi;! [I(i4], from the same village, lias 
Ibiir siiiall liarlis on I lie attrr ])iif. w hieli is unusually (nearly 7 inches) 
Ion;;-, and a |iii(' ot shed brass. Tliis has the basal angles on each side 
cut into tiiree small, shaiji. liackward-pointiiig teeth. The total lengtli 
of this arrow is L'S inches. 

The after |iiics ot'al! arrows e\ee]itone wereof reindeer antler, which 
is aiiotherieasciii tor siipiiosiiii; that this form of arrow isa nioditication 
of the deer arrow. Atler tlie introduction of iron, this metal or copper 
was substituted tor the llint pile of the kuki'ksadliu, making the third 
and last form of bear arr<i\v. the sa'vhllifi ("fitted with iron"). This 
arrow ditfers from the others only in the form of the pile, which is gen- 
erally broad and tiat, and either rhomboidal, with the base cut into 
imiiierous small teeth, or else triangular, with a shank. The barbs are 
nsiially bilateral. 

No. TliT.jH [-•"i], from Nuwfik, represents the tirst tVu'in. The jrile is 
of iron, rough and tiat, I'i inches long. Ko. 72770 [l3J:l/>], from Utki- 
avwin, is of the same form. No. 727(30 [105], Fig. ISGc, from Utkia-vwiii, 
has a similar pih^ 3-3 inches long, but has each of the under edges cut 
into four sharp, backward-pointing teeth. No. 7277S [234/*], Fig. ISGd, 
hasa pile of sheet eo]ii)er 2-.> inches long, of the saiiK^ shape, but with six 
teeth. This arrow eanie from Sidarn. No. 7270.") ['2')]. from Nuwuk, isa 
long, narrow iron pile with three bilateral liarbs, all simple. 

Nos. 727.").") [2.-)], from Nuwuk, 727.")!! [2.'.], alsoli'om Nuwuk, and 72704 
[lO.")], from rtkiavwin, show the shanked form. The first is triangular, 
with a Hat shank and a simple barb at each angle of the base. It is of 
steel (])iece of a saw) and 2-.S inches long. The .second resembles No. 
727(iO [10."")], with more teeth, mounted on a slender cyliiidiical shank 1| 
inches long. It is of iron and .Ml inches long. The third is a long pile 
with a sinuate outline and one pair of simple bilateral barbs, and a flat 
shank one-half inch hmg. No.s. 72757 [25] (Fig. 1806) and 72762 [25], both 
from Xinvtik, are i)eeiiliar in being the only iron-pointed arrows with un- 
ilateral barbs. The piles are made of the two blades of apair of large scis- 
sors, cut olfat the piiiiit, with enough of the handle left, to make a tang. 
The uuilatcial barb is tiled out on the back of the blade, which has been 
beveled ilown on both faces to a sharp edge. All of these broadheaded 
arrows iiave the breadth of the pile at right angles to the i)lane of the 
nock, sho\nng that they are not meant to tly like the Sioux war arrows. 
-Mthough iron makes a better material lor arrow i)iles and is more 
easily worked than Hint, the quivers which some men still carry at Point 
lian-ow c(Uitaiu fiint as well as iron headed arrows. Thev are' probably 



MUEDOCH.] 



arrow; 



'JO.') 



kept in use from the superstitions eoiiservatism nhcaily inciiiimicii. it 
is certain that the man wiio raiscil a eoiiiiic cil" wolfnilis ini ihc sal^c df 
their fur was obliged l)y tradirion to liavc a Hint licailcd arrow to iiilj 
them with. These arrows, we were iiiformcd, wnc es|)cciall,v desi-ncd 
for hunting " nii'uu," the pohir l)ear, but of (((uise tliey also served lor 
use against other dangerous game, hive the wolf and brown Iji'ar and 



'/. 



Fig. 1X7.— rile of deer arrow (nfttkau). 

there is no reason to l)elieve that they wexe not also shot at reindee 
though the hunter would naturally nse his deer arrows first. 

Deer arrows have a long trihedral pile of antler from 4 to s inclK 
long, with a sharj) thin-edged point slightly concaved on the faces HI. 
the point of a bayonet. Two of the edges are rounded, but the third 
sharp and cut into one or more simple barbs. Behind the barb 
the pile takes the form of a rounded shank, ending in a shoulder 
and a sharp rounded tang a little enlarged above the point. 

No. 72768 [162], Fig. ISOefrom Utkiavwin, has a pile 3J inches 
long with two barbs. The pile of Xo. S!)2:1S [162] from the same 
village is Ah inches long and has but (.n«' barb, while that of 
No. .S!»24b( [162] is 7-S inches long and has three barbs. The 
rudely incised tiguiv on the shank of No. 8t)2oS [I6l'[ re|.rescnts 
a wolf, i.robably a talisman to make the arrow as fatal to the 
deer as the wolf is. No. .-.6.>SS [13], Fig. 187, is a pile for one of 
these arrows slightly iieciiliar in shape, being elliptical in sec- 
tion, with one edge sharp and two-barbed and a four-sided point. 
The figure shows well the shai)c of the tang. The peculiarity 
of these arrows is that the ])ile is not fastened to the shaft, but 
can easily be detached.' When such an arrow was shot into a 
deer the shaft would easily be shaken out, leaving the sharp 
barbe.l pile in the wound. " 

The Ivskimo told us that a deer wounded in this way would 
"sleejt once and die," meaning, apparently, that death would 
ensue in about twenty four hours, probably from peritimitis. 
The bone pile is called iiu'tkriri. wheiiee comes the name of the 
arrow, niVtko'dliu. ^^■e collected ten arrows and three i>iles()f 
this pattern. No.8!l4(;(l 1 12(;;!), Kig. ISS. isa iicculiar bone arrow 
l)ile, perhaps intendc<l foi- a deer arrow. It is 7 inches long and Fni iss- 
made of one of the long bones of some large i)ird, split length ,iri,,-ar. 
wise so that it is rounded on one side and deeply concave on ro^^i'ii^' 
the other, with two thin rounded edges tapered to a sharp point. Each 

vM-onil Voyage (Hakliiyt, 1589, p. 628). After describing the 
the Eskimo of "Meta Incosnita" (Baffin Land) In 1577 he 
i: "They are not made very fast, Imt lightly tyed to, or else set in a nocke, that upon small occa- 
the arrowe loavoth these heads behind them." 



yz 



■>()f) 



e<l}j»' liiis three little IkiH.s alu 
only arrowhead of liie kind s( 
sold it said it was a ■•Kiiriiin 
tn.lh of this ,-,,riol.,,iaIc'd hy 
arrows In.iu the Maelven/.ie re; 
of almost the same form. 

For shootin- .liulls, -eese. and oth, 
wilhastraijihli.oly.u-olialpiieotwidiii: 
one half inch iiMJiameter. teniiiiiatiii; 
point, and liavin,i;- one or more nnilate 
ally five-sided, th.m.uh sometimes tril 
tan-- inserted into llie .Mid of the s 
from I'tkiavwiri). re|,re 



Ai;i;<>\v ivSKiMu 

he middl 



.Muse 

No>. 



the pile. This was the 
i)W, and (he native who 
was pleased 'to hnd the 
lection. There are two 
d liKKi) with bone piles 



in a somewhat obtuse polyy'oual 
al barbs. These piles are fi'euer- 
■dral, and have, a Ions', rounded 

lift. Kiy. ISilrr (Xo. SO.'Uil [11!>] 
rnts oiu' of these arrows with a 
tive sided pile .")•■") inches lon.n', with four simple barbs. 
The rest of the arrow does not ditfer from the others de- 
scribed. No. S'.ILMS [i.'.-,|, from Xuwfik, has a trih.-dral jiile 
(Hi inches lon^, with a siu-le barb. Another from Nnwiik 
(No. SDiiil |:i.-.]) has a trihedral pile :,■:; inches long, with 
two barbs, an.l on.' IV.mi Itkiavwln (N... S!)i.'41 fll'.l]) has 
a liv.' si.l.Ml pil.' with Ihri'e barbs. The remaining- three, 
fr.mi Si.larn.all hav.^ liv.' si.l.'.l pii.vs with .in.' barb. 

Arr.)Wsof this ],atti'rn are .-all.'.l tuga'lii-i (from tn'ga, 
walrus ivory). Th.'r.' ar.- also in thi' .-.illeeti.m tw.. small 
arrows of this jiattiTii suit.Ml tbr a b.iy's b.nv. Th.'y art- 
only •-'.-. in.'h.'s long, an.l liave r.mghly trihedral sharp- 
p.iint.'.l iv.>ry pil.'s ab.mt t in.di.'s l.mg, witln.nt barbs. 
(N...s<)!l(ib/ |:s(i| from Ttkiavwin). Th.'s.' arr.iws are new 
an.l rath.'!- .-arel.'ssly mail.', ami wi're int.'n.le.l tbr th.' 
.s!t'.Mi4 |7S(;|) r.lrea.ly il.'s.a-ib.'.l. The thr.'." 
\s whi.-h hav.' b.-.'u .l.'s.-iib.Ml all have the 

il of the iait.a-, whi.-h is k.'])t fr.un splitting 
by whipping it with sin.'w f.ir ab.iut .in.' half ini'h. 

The fourth kin. I. th.' bbiiit liir.l arr.iw (ki'x.i.lwain), .m 
the .ither haii.l. has th.' pil.' .-I.'ft t.i i-.'.'.'iv.' the we.lge- 
shap.'.l tip. if the St. '1. 'an. I s.'.-ur.'il by a whipping <if sin.'W. 
s.if this kin. I in th.'.'.ill.'.'ti.in at.' alm.i.st 
«'ept that thr.'.' .if th.'iii. b.'l.mging t.) the 
, hav.' thr.'.' f.'athers. Fig. l.S'.l/^ No. 71377.3 
rn r.'pr.'s.'utsth.' form .if arr.iw. The jiile 

fr.im slipping. iff. Th.- r.'st .if th.' arr.iw 
rib.'.l only in having th.' emi .if the st.'l.' 
diap.'il ]ioint to lit into th.' pil.'. 

m.istly ns.'.l by the b.iys, wh.ise ganu' is 
lis .ir h'lumings. Nowadays the b.ine jiile 



lad's bow (N. 



pih' s.'.n,. 
hole in Ih. 



liini arrow (kix j;^.^ ("join SJd; 

""'""■"■ [L'.-i-h'l fr.iM, S 

is of hard b.iiLc J-.? in(■h.'^ 
keeps the whipping of sin 
ditVers IV.im th.' .ithers <i. 
eliamfere.l .town (o a w.'.l; 
This is 111.' kill, I ,if an 
ahu.ist exclusivelv small 



MURDOCH.) ARROWS ARROW K'KLKASr,. ^O? 

is often r.'iilacod liy ;in ciiipry carrrid.ir.' slidl. wliicli innkr. ;i vn-y - 1 

head. I liavc s.-cii a plialaidii.' Iiaiistixcil al sliui l laii-c li\ ,iiir ol' Ilicsc 
cartrid.uT licail.Ml airuws. An assoitiiiciit nf tlic dirrnviil kind nf ai-n.ws 
is usuall\caii-icd in thr i|iiivt'r. Tlir Idl niiiiihricd I'.-), lV,,iii Niiuuk, 

hear arrows, one l)arl)cd hear arrow with a stcrl pile, si\ iii'ar arrows 
with iron piles, one deer arrow, two fowl aii-ows, and one l)ird ariow. 

As I have already said, all th.'se arrows are tiatten.'d aliove and'l.dow 
at the nocks. This indicates rliat they were intended to lie held to the 
striii.nand let -o alter the niannei- of what iscalled the -SaNon release," 
namely, by liookin,;;- the ends of the index aii.l second lingers louiid lii'e 
string and indding the arrow between them, the string being ivleased 

by straigliteiiing tlie fingers. Thi.s is tl •elease" whi<-h we actually 

sawemployeil both by the boys and one or two men who showed ns how 
to draw the bow. Tiiis metlmd of release i,as be.Mi obs.Mved al Cam 
berland (inlf and at iCast ( 'ape. Siberia, and is probably nnivcrsal 
among the Eskimo, as all tiie Eskimo airows in the National .Mnsenm 
are fitted for this release. There is ample material in the IMusenm col- 
lections for a comparative stndy i>f Eskimo arrows, which [ hope some 
day to be able to nndertake. wImmi the material is jn a nunv available 
condition. One or two references to other legions will not. howi'ver. be 
out of place. The arrow with a barbed bone after-iiile seems a verv 
geueral form, being represented in the Mnsenm from most of tiie 
Alaskan regions, as well as from the .Mackenzie. 8coresby mentions 
finding the head of (me of these at the ancient settlements in east 
Greenland.^ The. arrow, however, desciibcil by ('apt. I'arry ' has a real 
foreshaft of bone, not a liarbed after pile. One of these arrows from 
the ,Macken/,i.- has the after pile barbel on b,>th sides, the onlv instance, 
1 beli.'ve. in iUv .Mn.s.mm of a bilaterally-baibcl Eskimo arn.w where 
the i)ile is iH.t wholly of metal. 

Bote cases uikI (lid rcrx. — TIm^ bow and arrows were carried in a l)ow 
case and (piivcr of black .sealskin, tied to.-ct licr siil.' by side ami slnng 
across th.' back in the same manner as thi> gun liolstci- alread\- de- 
scribed. We obtained one case and (|iiivc|- wliich belong with the bow 
and arrows (No. i'.">, troin Nnwnkjand a single i|uivcr with the bow and 
arrows (No. I'.'Jf, from Sidarn.) Tlic case. No. s!ii;4.". |i'.".|. I'ig. l!Mi,r 
(pizT'ksT/.ax), is of snch a shape that the liow can be cairicd in it Strang 

sealskin with the tiesli siijc in ami .sewing np one sid ver and o\ci'" 

from the ontside. The bag is wide cnoiigli— fi inches at the widest 
[.art— to allow the b.,w to slip in easily when strnng. and the small end 



right Imnil." (Ivuinli.].. Ciiti ilputioii., p. :i7.) 

"BL-imSpaiini'ii winl rhi- I'l.il ni.lit zwis. li.ii Daiinii-n unit Z< 
MittflttngCTKclialK-li," Krau.-r r.n.nni.s, Oi'L^rajihlsc-liK Uliitli- 

'2(1 Voyage, p. OU, and liyuivil with thi- buw C'l;) uu I'L npixi^ 



208 



I'dIXT HARROW E.SKIMO. 



i. l,..„t up int.. tl... slu.,..' ..f III- vu,\ of tin. iK.w. Alons the I0I.I..I e.lf;c 
.>,,.,l.,r,Tonn.l 1...1.-S about K. iiuhcs upart, tlaougli wl.k'h a round 
st'ck WIS foiinci-lv lliiust, couiiu.u <Mit IVoui the inside through the first 
lul-' in nm.u.'li tlu' s,c„'nd and^ out throu-h the tliird again. Tliis 
served to liolifthe rase iu sh ip' "' < " f'"-' liow was svithdruwu, aud to 
its ends were fasii^uc'd I he thou^ toi shn^m^ it a.-niss the shoulders. It 
was gone IVoni the s|,erinH u 1.. t.iu -\. obt liui'd it. 

The.|uiver(No.S!,210-l |^-.|, 1 U l"<>/„ ,s , h,ug. straight bag .. he 
same material, ..pen at oiu ( nd, w ith a s. iin down one side, and tlie 



:1 



.fe._^ 



edge of tlie month opjiosile 
long. 'I'iie oilier end is elo 
skin, turned \\\, about ■_' in 
like a boot sole. Itsextrei 
1 foot. Inside along tlie s. 
i ineh in diamet<-r. \miIi .11 
inehes through a hole in 1 



I byau elliptieal.'ap of white tanned s.mI 
rs ;ill round, and eriniped round tlie ends 

leiii;th is ."lO inches, anil its eireumferenee 

II is a i-ouglily rounded rod of wood about 
■11(1. which is iiointed, luojecting about l.J 
• bottom, ;ind the other projecting about 1 



MUEDOCH.J QUIVERS. 

inch beyond the mouth, v,hovo it is >iccn 
thiouj^Ii a couph' of siiiiill liolcs in tlie 1 
in.n" round a notcli on tin; stick. Tiic >(i 
when there are no arrows in it. A bit 



209 



.r ti 



ini(hlh-, one en 
for tijilitcninu i 
Thc(|ni\..rfi 
like the pivcdin;:. Nil 
nic.iilli. Tiic hitfr i-; 
former IL'^, and the -. 
from the niontli to l';ic 
stiireninj;i<p(ii>.Mia.l.M 
the h.ittom HI- icM.h tl 
by two pieces ot" timn 



IMPtt.^d 
'■1.>M. t„ni,.e,ke;,nd |,;iss- 

tlion- is kn..tl.-(l ronnd the 



U- hll.'hed into:. hM.pon the ..fher, 
Miii\er ;ind conliniii;;- the ;irr.>\\s. 
d;ini ,N,,. 7-J7SS |l';U1 Ki.^. 1!I0,.) is 
II i;iiuer :it the l)oltc.ni th;in ;il liie 
.^A inch.'s in ciicnMileienc-<-;ind liu' 

■iiit;ile lictlin- ;it lh<' allows. The 

'fl'iiH>.,ui<l,hM.sn..t pp.icct liiroii-h 

"I iheniuMtil. IL is hehi in 

I HI 111, lie.s h.n--. whicii also 




serve to fasten it to tiie bow ca.se. This ([uiver is nearly 
new. 

It is probabk' that tlie form of the bow ease and quiver 
varied but little, amonj,' the .Vmerican Eskimo at least. 
Those tiffured by ('apt. Lyon' are almost exactly like the 
ones we collected at 
Point Barrow, even 
to the crimped cap 
on the bottom of the 
(piiver. A similar set 
belong' witli a lad's 

bow in the 3Iiisenm ''" '■'- <'ii> i"i'ii>iv, i 

IVoni J'oint IIoix' (No. (i;!(;ii). Nordeii.skiiijd. however, 
li^iires a \eiy ehil)c>iate tiat <piiver.' in ii^e at IMtleka.j, 
whicii isesidenll.N of .ucnninc Asiatic oii.uin. 

Sonic pains seem to ha\e i)ecii bestowed on ornament 
inj;- the (piiver in former times, when the bow was in iiion- 
jiiMieral ii.se. Fi--. l!tl. No. .")(;."■)()."'. [L'.-;i |, tVoni Xiiwrik, rep- 
resents what we, understood iiad I)cen a stilfciiiiiu rod f<ir 
a (piiver or bow case. It is of remdcci antler. 17 iiiciies 
Ion-, and oni' end is vci-y neall\ <-ai\cd int,, tlic head and 
shonldeis of a leindeei. with small, blue -lass l„.a,|s in- 

scrtecl for tin' .■\es. 'flic l.iiiccolatc | t at the lip was 

probabl\ ina.le w ith an idc.i of iinprovinj;' it for sale. The 
Fio. i!ii.-Quiv,r hoj.'at Ih.' back of ijic iicc k is for a tlionji' tofaslcn it on 
""' with. A .similar iciiuh'ci h.-.id of antler. Fi- !!):.'. No. 

Silll'.l |l(M;(i|, ai.so from Nuwtik, seems to have been a cap for a (|uivcr 
stick. The i)ack of the neck makes a half-ferrule, in which are tliree 
holes f(tr rivets or treenails. 
Bracers. — lu shooting the bow, the wrist of the bow hand was pro- 

5(1, F\g. 2i. 



s 



' Parry'a 2d Voyage, PI. oppos 
^Vega, vol. 2, p. 106. 

-U 



•ill) 



INT BARROW ESKIMO. 




tlif bowstriiij;' l).v a siiiall sliicld or "l)racer" 

il on with a tlionii'. We iic\cr saw tlicsf in use, 

as tlio bow is so seldom ciiiinoyiMl except by 

,ir rliildren. Two of these, newly made, 

ic oliered for sale. I will deseribe one of 

M.. No.SliUO/y [12;i3|, Fi-. 1!»:!. 

1 1 IS of jiale yellow monidain sheep horn, 

\.\ on the outer face and concave on the 

er and considerably arched lellKth^^-ise. 

In the middle are two straight longitudinal 
iM.i. i9-i.-r.nii-.r. mnrow slots, which serve no apparent pur- 

pose excciit ornament. The short slot near the edge at the middleof 
each side, however, is for the thongs which stiaji the bracer to I he wrist. 
One of these is short and ma(h' into a becket by fastening the ends 
l(ig.'thcr with double slits. Om^end of the other is jiussi'd through 
the slot. slit, and the other end (lassed through this and llra^vn taut. 

A knot is lied on ihe IV 'nd. This thong is Just long enough to fasten 

on the bracer by passing round the wrist and catching the knot iu the 
loop opposite. The otlNT. No. S!I4I(I«( | H.','}.!], is like this, but 1 inch 
slKU-ter and nearly Hat. The arch of the specinuMi tignred is inobably 
unintentional and due to the luitural sha|ie of the material, as it does 
not tit well to the wrist. It is iirobablc that these 
I ( I I u I I l! It I 1 I II 1 i_ 1 (t N M (» 

I It mint It 1 I thill ( III] ti ilpl It! )t hud boiu 
-^hkIk loii^ iti 1 1 f \\i(h with two lowsof lioks 
(lo m^ It luht iiuh in fin iniddli lli( hok s 
It iIm idi \\(i( piobibU loi tin tli m^ ilid tin 
ih I t I (iiniiKiit, IS sonii ot tilt 111^ iih | iit 
w i\ till ii^li loui sniill pebbles lu lod>,itl iii the 
loui ht)l( iiouiid the (ditir m tin foiuitit moss 

Ml N(l tm(olI((tcdst\(i d jik imensof lu ueis 
lioin kot/(but S niiitl iiid St I n-iuini I 1 uid 
' I'l • >i< ill li^hth lii^ti thill oiu pKiiiitns 
mil btiit I )iintl t lit tin wii t llit\ III ot btnic 
oiiopim Win 111 h \ \i itttlKot/t bin Sound 

iiil^-t l'< t'uml th h ^iiKidu c ' Ihnd ''' ' '"" 

no other mention of this implement iu the wTiters who have described 
the E.skiiiio. 

Bird r/rn-/.s'.— For cajituring large birds like ducks or geese, sitting 
on the water, esjiecially when they have molted their wing feathers so 
as to be unable to escape by tliglit, they use the universal Kskinio 

"•'"'1 <<""iil from (irccnlanil to Siberia, namely, a dart with one or 

more points at the tiji, Intt carrying a second set of three ivory prongs 

' •• They l.m-lilf m :i pi. , , ..( iv.,r.v. ,m1I,-,1 „i<in-era. .-iLont 3 or4 incheslong, hollowed out to the wrist, 
or^i t'lurd iiiiiiii.- or si-vc-ral piufL-.s ol ivuiy or wood fastc-ucd together like .an iron-holder." Voyage, 




( -^ 



I bo 



MnRDocH] pjpp DART. 

in a circle round the middle of the shall. Tl 
toiucrease tlic cliaucc of hiftin.i;- the hird il' Ik 
by the head of the dart. They always nirv 
so that the points stand out a fi-^y inciics 
shaft, and arc l.aihrd on the inner ed-v in s 
that, thou-h the neck of a low I will ,"isily | 
tweeii the prong- and the shaft, it is inipossili 
it back ajiaiii. The weapon is in very man 
Point I'.arrow. and is always thrown from the 
a handboard (tobcdeseiihed l)elow). It .-an 
with considerable aceurac\ 



211 



loat with 
iw). It .-an be darted 
10 yards. We sehh.m 

saw this spear used, as it is chieHy e 

intr nmltinj;- fowl, in the summer seas 

:mniediate nei<;'hborli 1 



(1 111 cabdi- 
■r season, away from the 
K' station. It is .'ailed 
nuia'kpai, which is a plural referrin.i;- to the luimber 
of points, one of which is called nuia'k]ink c-the -reat 
nuiilk").' 

^'o. S!L'44 [b'5l>5]. Fin-. I-).-,, from rtkiavwih, has been 
selected as the type of this weapon. The shaft is of 
spruce, t;i.^ inches long- and (1-7 inch in dianu'ter at the 
head. The eml of the butt is hollow.'d ont to tit the 
catch of the throwing- board. The head, of white wal 
rns ivory, is fitted into the cleft end of the shaft with 
a wedge-shaped tang as Inoad as the shaft. The head 
and shaft are held together by a spa<-ed lashing of 
braided sinew. To the enlargement of the shaft, L'L' 
inches from the butt, are fastened tlir.'e curved prongs 

round the shaft. The inner side of eacii i.r.n 



iir. 



ilH|Uely t( 
applied t, 
, tlie latte 
las two li 
hI and til. 



I'S. s.) tl 



ift, with 
lit I iii.'l 



are s.'.aircil to tli.' shaft by 
sinew brai.l. two narrow oi 

menfion.'.l aii.l on.- broad 

making this the liii.' is knoll 
.•arri.'.l .m.'-thir.l of th.'.lista 
pr.Mig: half hit.died roiin.l tl 
th.' ii.'xt i.roug; half hitch. 
r.Miiid to the starting point 



;■ is cut 
en this 
tli.'ii.)int of thepr.)iig 
fnuiith.' shaft. Ka.-h 
he oiitsiih". one at th.' 
ii.'hab,,v.'this. Th.-\ 
■e s.'parate lashings ol 
ihovi' the ridges Just 
;t b.'h.w the barb. In 
•..uii.l ..n.' prong, th.'ii 
rouiiil the Shalt to th.' 
n.l.-arri.'d round ne\t 
mild tliis. aii.l .-arri.'d 
d half hit.'h.'.l rouii.l 



'Tills word appt^.irs to be a iliminutivfi of tlin Crcenlaiiilic nuek- 
uscrt only in tlio plural, niigflt, for tlio spcir. These clLinses of iirm 
resout corresponciing clian^cs iu the weapon in former times, sinre 
may suppose tliat the bird dart w.-w made small .liid eall.il llii- ' li 
and onlarp-d .-igain after the meaning of the name was icrnoii; u, 
present name, "big little uuik." 



\4 



THK POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

It goes anmiid in this way sfvcii times, ami then is carried one 
farthev, half hitclieil a.uaiii. and the end taken down and made 
I the first narrow hisliinj;-. Tlie shaft is painted with red oeher 
lin i;U inches (the h'listh of the throwius board) from the butt, 
s an old sliait and head fitted with new prongs, and was made 
;awa'alu. wiio was anxious to borrow it again when getting ready 
■t on his suMinier t rip to the east, where he wouUl find yonng ducks 
olting fowl. 

fDiin of head seen in this dart appears to be tlie commonest. 
Ulfd by the same name, nii'tkau, as the boue head of the deer 
arrow. There is considerable variation in the number of 
barbs, wliieh are always bilateral, except in one 
instance, Xo. 56590 [122J, Fig. 190, from Utkiav- 
w i fi. whicli has four barbs on one side only. It is 
7j inclies long exclusive of the tang. Out of 
eight specimens of such heads one has one pair of 
baibs. <in(' two pair.s, two three pairs, one four 
unilateral barbs, one five pairs, one si \ (lairs. and 
one seven pairs. The total length of these heads 
is from it inches to 1 foot, of which the taug makes 
about 1' inches, and they are generally made of 
walrus i\oiy, wherein they differ from the nugflt 
of the (ireenlanders, which, since Crantz's time' 
has always had a head of iron. Iron is also used 
at Cumberland Gidf, as shown by the sp.'cimens 
in the National Musueni. Fig. IHT represents 
a very ancient spearhead from rtkiavwih. Xo. ;] 

SiiMTL' [T(i(l|. it is of compact whale's bone, dark- 
ened with age and impregnated with oil. It is 
s-7 inches long and the other end is beveled off 
into a wedge-shaped tang roughened with cross- • , 

cuts on both fiiees, with a small hole for the end 
of a lashing as on the head of No. 89244 [1325]. 
Tliis was called by the native who sold it the 
head of a seal spear, fl'kqlTgfdc, and it does bear 
some slight resemblance to the head of weapon 
used in (Ireenland :uid called by a similar name^ 
(agdligak). The roughened tang, howev.'r, indi- 
<-ates that it was intendi'd to be fixed pi'riiianently 
in the shaft, and this, taken in .■onnecti.m witl] 
^llri.'.ni.ur'r'' il^ strong r.'semblance to the one-barbed head of 

the (Ireenland nugfit^ as well as to the head of the Siberian 
bird dart figured by N'ordenskioIdS makes it probable that it is really 
tbc for f binl dart head anciently used at Point Barrow. It is pos- 



•212 



prong 
fast ti 
to wit 
TJiis i 
by Nil 
to stai 
and ni 

The 
It isc; 

I 



/2 



Figs. 6 a 



BIRD DART. 



213 



])(, 



ll SI 



n'diiiary j 


Mttcni i 


1 the. 


.111(1 (lirt\- 


is mail 


■ (>r 


. No.Sii;; 


-:;i!ti,s|. 


ram 


o,„l typu- 


ll shape 


has 



sibk' that this patten 
foriiotteii what thisol 
a seal spear. 

One of the eight lieads i.f the 
56592 [284], a gemiiiie one, old 
whale's l)one, an unusual niateri; 
Utkiavwiii, an ivory head of a : 

been figured (Fig. 108) to show a common style of onia- 
nieuting these heads. A narrow incised line, colored 
with red oclier, runs aloug the base of the barbs on each 
side for about three-fourths the length of the 
blade. Tliese heads are sometimes secured by 
treenails as well as by a simple lashing, as is 
shown by the holes through the tang of this 
specimen. 

An imin-ovenient on this style of dart, which 

appears to be less common, has two prongs at 

the tip instead of a sharp head, so that the bird 

may be caught if struck on the neck with the 

point of the spear. No. SD! )(),") [132(;], Fig. l!l!», 

from Utkiavwifi, is one of this i)attern. The 

two prongs are fastened on with a lashing of 

fine sinew braid. The rest of the dart does 

not differ from the one described except in the 

method of attaching the three jjrongs at the 

middle (Fig. 199^). These are tltted into slight 

grooves in the wood and secured by two neat 

lashings of narrow strips of whalebone, one 

just above a little ridge at the lower end of 

p'oLQtfor «iich prong and one through little holes in each 

bird dart, prong at the top of the oblique edge. Each 

lashing consists of si!V(^ral turns with the end closely 

wi'apped around tlnun. Tluu-e is one specimen, No.89242 "I 

[520], in the collection which not only has not the prongs "■ 

at the middle, bnt lacks the enlargement of the shaft to fiu v.io -iiini dart 

receive Ihcm. The head is undoubtedly old and gen- "'""' '' i"'"" 

nine, bnt the shatt and tittings, though dirty, look suspiciously Iresh. 
I am inclined to i)elieve that this head was mounted for sale by a man 
who had no prongs ready made, and was in too much of a hurry to get 
his price to stop to make them. Imperfect or unfinished objects were 
freipiendy otVered for sale. 

The bird darts used at Point Barrow, and by the western Eskimo 
generally, are lighter aiul better finished than thosi- nsed in t!u> east. 
The latter have a heavy shaft, which 
the prongs are crooked and clumsy.' 



mr-sided in Hafli 



d. and 



'See Crantz's figure referred to abovi 
19, and Kink, Tales., etc., Fl. opposite ] 



also one in Parry's second voyage, PI. opposite p. 550, Fig. 



211 



iOW 



;.L'IM), No. S!»;!S(»|.;i.! 
lu-ad. (lark brown li 



ESKIMO, 
vcrvancioiit i 



'^f^ r.'sctiilil.' 



I.. .Msl an. I lolx 



wiial ivory 
1 shiny from much liamllinj;-, which 
ninlct. It was said to liave come 
i,o- t:) a bird dart, thou,i;li it does m)t 
■ at the i)rcs«'ntdayin tliis region. It is a 
(id, havint;- on one side three short oblique 
liarbs. The resemblaiiceof this specimen 
cads from Scania figured by Dr. Eau' is 



Snil ihuis.—Thv Eskimo ot nearly all localities use a dart 
or small harpoon to ca])tnie the smaller maiine animals, with 
a loose, harhed head of bone fitted into a socket in Iheendof 
the sliafl. to which it is attached by a line of -reatei- or less 
length. It is always <-ontrived so that when the head is 
struck into the quarry, the shaft is detached from the bead 
and acts as a drag upon the animal. This is effected by 
' dinrh^^" iittaehing an inflated bladder to the shaft, or else by attacli- 
d,-irtiiMd. j,)o- thi; line with a martingale so that the shaft is dragged 
.sideways through the water. Nearly all P]skimo except those of Point 
liarrow, as shown in the National Muscnm collections and the figures 
in Crantz- and Kink-', use weapons of this kin<l of considcrabh- size. 



adapted not only to the capture of the 
I'./atidu), but also to the pursuit of tl 
whal and beluga. At Point IJarrow, 1 
day, they employ only a small form of t 



■;mall seals {I'hoai ritiili 
■ larger seals, the nar- 
iwcver, at the iiresent 
is dart, not over 5 feet 
r holdin- the smallest 



weapon is shown 
(1 of sui'h a si)ear. 



seals. That Ihcy formerly used the la: 

by lair finding a single s[)ecimen of the 

No.Sil.-iTt [li'SIJ Fig.iiOl. It is of hard, compact bom-. imi>reg 

nated with oil. S-l inches long. The flat shank is evidently 

intended to tit into a socket. The two holes through the widest 

Itart of the shank are for attaching the line. 

This is very like th<' hca<l of\he weajion <'alled ,i(/Iiii((l- 
(mo(h-rn Greenhmdic a,i;<lligak). fignred by Crantz, and're- 
ferred to above. cnccjiI tliat the barbs arc opposite each other. 
Mr. laicien :\r. Turner tells me that it is precisely like the head 
of the dart used at Norton Sound for capturing the beluga. The 
native who sold tliis specimen called it "uuia'kpai uii'tkoa," 
"tlie jioint of a bird dart." to which it does bear some resem- 
blance, though the shape of the butt and the line holes indicate 
l.laiidy that it was a drtavhahir (bu t head. Probably, as in the Bo^i^art 
case of the ancient bird dai t point, Xo. .S'.t.iTi; [TOO], referred to ''""i- 
above, this weai)on has been so long disused that the natives have 
forgotion what it was. The name a'kqliguk, evidently the same as the 

' I'n-liistorii; fishiiiK, Kigs. 91 and 95, p. 73. 

■' llislory of (i,r,T.Ini,d, vnl. 1. ,,. 147, PI. v, Figs. 6 .and 7. 



Greeulaiidio ((f/iUifinl: is still in use. Imt was always a].).!]. 

bone harpoon heads, which are, how<'vci'. ,,y the t(ii;i;l.' li 

(described below). It seems as if the i'oint r.airow nati 

^^^ ffott.-n all about tUr a'k,|li;,uk ex..,.|.t , 

^^^^^.^-^,£.^,^1 haipoon with a Ikiiic iicnd Inr takiii- sr 

Fio.2i)-j -x../.d,turUa.uur ^'^ I'oi'it Barrow. That it was used in :i 
""•" is shown l)y our tindinj;- in one of the 1 1 

in Utkiavwlu a very old broken nozzle foi' intlatniji one nf 
Fig. 202, Xo;.S!t72() [Tofil, is this specimen, which was picked 
Herendeen. This is a rounded 
tube of fossil ivory, 1-3 inches 
long and about one-half inch 
in diameter, slightly contract- 
ed toward one end and then 
expanded into a stout collar. 
At the other is a stout longi 
tudinal tiange, three -fourths j' 
inch long, perforated with an 
oblong sl(.t. I'.ctween the 
tiange and the collar the sur- 
face is roughened with cross- 
cuts, and the other end is si ill 
choked with the remains of a 
wooden plug. This nozzle was 
inserted inloa hole in the blad 
dcr as far as the tiange and 
.secured by tying the bladder 
above the collar. T1m> whole 
was then secured to tlie shaft |li 
by a lashing thn.ugii the sl.pt. 
and could iM-intlatedat jil-'as- 
ure and corked up witii Ihe 
wooden plug. 

As 1 iiave already said. Ihe 
oidy har|)oonof this kind now 
used at I'oint Mairow is a 
small one intended only for 
the captui-e of small s.'als. It 
has no bladder, but the rather 
long line is attached to the 
shaft by a martingah' which 'J 

makes the shaft drag sideways '"^ jn; -s,ni ,i.,rt 

through the water. Three of these little darls. whieli an 
a handboard like the bird dart, make a s.'t. The resistauc. 



9 


1,5 


atl( 


hi 
rn 


d 1 


)r 


\\a 




\t I 


h,. 



('apt. 




216 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

oC tlifsc tlircp s)>(':ns darted into the seal iu succession is said to be siif- 
liciciil to fatiffiu- the seal so tliat he cau be easily approached and dis- 
])atclic(l. We never saw these weapons used, though they are very com- 

II ,as they are intiMided only (iiruse from the kaiak, whieli these jieople 

seldom use in the nei.uhliorh 1 of the villages. Wlien in the iimidl; 

si tins "'tl' tl'*' 'i'lt' ■'^ " """■'' exiiedirious means of taking seals. We 

collected three sets of these darts (kukigii). 

No. S'.)-2i'Jb \:>-S.i\, Fig. 203, has been selected for desori])tion. The shaft 
is of si)ruee. •-)4i inches long, ami O-S inch in diameter at the tip, tapering 
slightly almost to the hntt, which is hollowed on the end to fit the catch 
of the throwing hoaiil. The foreshaft is of white walrus ivory 5 inches 
long, and is tilted into the tij) of the shaft with a wedge-shaped tang. 
This foreshaft. which has a deej) oblong slot to receive the head in the 
middle of its Hat tip. serves the double purpose of making a strong 
solid scickit for tlie head and giving sufficient weight to the end of the 
dart to make it lly straight. The head is a simple iiat barl)ed arrow-head 
of hard Ihiiic L'-.'> inches long and one-half inch broad iicross the barbs, 
with a Hat tang, broadest in the middle, where there is a hole for attach- 
ing the line. This head simply serves to attach the drag of the shaft 
to the seal as it is too small to inflict a serious wound. It is fastened to 
the shaft by a martingale made as follows: One end of a stout line of 
sinew laaid 5^ feet long is j)assed through the hole iu the head and se- 
emed hy tying a knot in the end. The other end of this line divides 
mio i\M> parts not i|uite so stout, one 3 feet long, the other 2 feet 8 
inelK's. The latter is fastened to the shaft ISJ inches fi-om the butt by 
a sin-le marling hitch with the end wedged into a slit in the wood and 
seized down with tine sinew% The longei' ))art serves to fasten the fore- 
shaft to the shaft, and was probably put on separately and worked into 
thi' braiding of the rest of the line at the junction. The foreshaft is 
kept from slii>])ing out by a little transverse ridge on each side of the 
tang. When the weajion is mounted for use the two parts of the bridle 
are liroiight together at the nnddle of the shaft and wrapped spirally 
around it till only enough liiu' is left to iiermit the head to be inserted 
in the socket, and the bight of the line is secured by tucking it under 
the last turn. When a seal is struck with this dart his sudden plunge 
to escape unshijis the head. The catch of the martingale immediately 
slips; the latter unrolls and drags the shaft through the water at right 
angles to the line. The shaft, besides acting as a drag on the seal's 
motions, also ser\ es as a float to indicate his position to the hunter, as 
Its bno.van.y l)rings it to the surface before the .seal when the latter 
rises for air. 

The shaft is usually painted red exeejit so nmch of the end as lies in 
the groove of the tlirowing boar.l, in the a<t of darting. These darts 
vary but little in size and material, and are all of essentially the same 
I.attern. They are always about r, feet in length when mounted for 
use. (The longest is ti4^ inches, and the shortest 57.) The head, as 



THROWING BOARDS. 



217 



.1 111. I I 
lUtll nl 



well as the foresbaft. is sometimes made of wall us 
sometimes of whale's bone. The chief variation i-, 
martingale, and the details of th( nu i 
No two are precisely alike. The loushilt is i,(ii( i ilh 
plain, but is occasicmally highly om.init nt(d,,is is sliown 
in Fig. 2(U, No. .5G.51G |l(lo].^ The fasuus au .ill mns.d 
and cdlorcd. some with ocher and some \Mth so.it 

Both .if the kinds of darts al).)\e dcs( I ill. (1 n. thi.>\\ii 
by means „{ a hand board or thi.)\\iiit, b.i iid I lns is i 
flat, narrow board, from 1.5 to 18 inches hmt;, w .tli i li ni.U. 
at one end and a groove along 
the upper surface in which 
the spear lies with the butt 
resting against a catch at the 
other end. The dart is pro- 
pelled by a quick motion .)f 
the wi'ist. as in casting with a 
flyrod, which swings up the 
tip of the board and launches 
the dart forward. This con 
trivauce, which practically 
niake.s of tlie hand a lever 
18 inches long, enables the 
thrower by a slight motion of 
the wrist to impart great ve- 
locity to the dart. The use 
of this implement is universal 
Fig. 2(M.-Forf among the Eskimo, though not 
shaft of seal dart, peculiar to them. The Green- 
landers, however, not only use it for the two 
kinds of darts already mentioned, bat have 
a(lai)tcd it to the large hai]i.)oii.' This is 
undoubtedly to adapt the large harpoon for 
use from the kaiak, which the Greenlanders 
u.se more habitually than most other E.skimo. 
On the otlierlian.l, the peopleof Baffin Land 
and tlic adjoining regions, as well as the 
inhabitants of n.)rtheasteiii Siberia, use it 
only witli the bird dart.^ Tlirough.mt west- 
ern North America the throwing-board is 
used essentially as at Point Barrow. Prof. 
O. T. Mason has given' an interesting ac- 
count of the diflerent forms of throwing-board used by the Eskimo and 
Aleuts of North America. 




' Cr.intz. vol. 1, p. 14.!. Pi. V. Vi<:a. 1 ami 2. an.l Rink as i 
' Parry, Si-coud Voyage, p. 508 (Iglulik) : and Xordenski 
'Smithsonian Keport for 1884, part ii , pp. 279-289. 



ted aliove. also Kane. Fir.st 1 
, Vega, vol. 2. p. 105. Fig. 5. 



l.NT liARKdW ESKIMO. 



We olilaincd IUm 


' ^I"'-'" 


S!»u';i:{ |r)L>;5|, V\<^. -'< 




same rollcctoi's in 


unlici'. 


of si)iii<'c, and tlif 


hole i: 


ivorv. sliaiicd like 


a tiat 1] 


tl,.- tip so thai Ili.'( 


•d-.'or 



of the foiiii used at Point Barrow. No. 
iiu to the set of seal darts beariug the 
been scle<ted as the type. This is made 

the forertii,i;i'r. A little peg- of walrus 

■d nail, is driven through the middle of 

liead Just projects into the groove. This 

e dart and serves to steady it. It 

I sides. Pig. 2()5i, No. 89235 [(>()], differs 
■iiive instead of being flat. A slight ad- 

II a crooked lever. The catch is a small 
the same as the t\qie. No. 89234 

eatcli, and No. .Silil(l2 [1.320], has 

lilfeiviit shape, the head having only a pro- 

riiey are generally iiainted with 

loove. There appears 

throwing hoards nieaut for seal 

iart. 

I liad no ojiiioitninty of observing accu- 

s])e(l,l)nt it is probably held as 

Ksclischoitz liay,' namely, with the fore- 

e thninhand iiiiddl.' finger clasped round 

the third and little fingers clasping tiie handle 

r. 'I'liis seems a very natural way of holding 

lease the spear at the moment 

listing. All tiie throwiugboards from Point Barrow are 

igiithandcd. 

II<n-p<Hiiis. — All Jvinds of marine animals, ineluding the 

s. which are also captured with the darts just 

sciihcd and with nets, are imrsiied with harpoons of the 

" type, but of different patterns for the different 

They may be divided into two clas.ses — those in- 

tiirowing, which come under the head of projectile 

lo not leave the hand, but are thrust into the 

riiese fall iiroiierly under the liead of tlirusting weapons. Both 

id only attached permanently to the line, 

tlic end of the shaft, and arranged so that when struck 

letached from the shaft, and turns under the skin 

to flic line, like a toggle, so that it is almost impossible 

lit. 

No. .s!)7'.);i |S7;!|, v\„, i-ocj, is a typical toggle head of this kind, in- 
leiided for a walins harpoon (tuki:). and will be described in full, as the 
names of the ilitrcrcnt |)arts will apply to all heads of this class. The 
hndy is a colloidal piece. U inches in length, and flattened lateraUy so 
that at the widist part it is 1 inch wide and 0-7 thick. On one side, 
which may be called the lower, it is cut off straight for about half the 

' Voyage, p. 324. 





MOKDOCH.J HARPOONS. 219 

longer diaiiH'ter, while tlic upix 
sidod spur, the barb. The //;(/■ 
inch in diameter, a little l):i(k uf 
to its longer diameter. From thi 
to the base of the body, gradually i 
In the middle of the base of tli- 
socket, which fits the conical tip 
the tip of the body is cut, at rigi 
eter of the body, and therefor(^ at 
the barb, the narrow l>Ii(ilc slit. Mi 
secured by a single nirdiaii rivet 
blade of metal (brass in this case 
curved edges, narrowly licveJeil on 
long and 1 broad. 

The body is sometimes cnt into laces so as to lie hexagonal 
instead of elliptical in section as in Fig. 2(17 (No. SDTill [S7;i]),>'3 
and intermediate forms are cominoii. Wiien sucli a liead is 

Fig. 2117. — 

mounted for use a bight of the li v li-ailrr. -.i short line for Hiinm.m 

connecting the head witli the main line, runs througli the line '""'^' 

hole so that the head is slung in a loop in tl nd of the line. The tip 

of the shaft is then fitted into the siiaft socket and the line brought 
down the shaft with the parts of the loop on eacli side resting in the line 
grooves and is made fast, usually so tliat a slight luill will detach it from 
the shaft. When the ainmal is struck the blade cuts a wound laige 
enough to allow the head to pass in beyond tlie barb. The struggles of 
the animal make the h.'ad slip oft' the tip of 
the sliaft and the strain on the line imme- 
diately toggles it across the wound. The 
toggle head of the whale harpoon is called 
kia(|;ron, of the walrus harpoon, tuku, and of 
the seal haipoon, nauli;. They are all of 
essentially the same pattern, differing chiefly 
in size. 

There is in the collection an interesting 
series of old harpoon heads, showing a num- 
iifstcps in the development of the modern 
crn of hariioon lieadfronianancientform. 
These heads seem to have been ])reserved as 
amulets: in fact oneof them is still attaclicd 
to a belt. They arc not all of the same kind, 
hut since the difterent kinds as mentioned 
ly in size, their development was probably 
ri'n in the c.,llection is No. S0382 [1383], Fig. 




above practical! 
the same. Tlu^ 



itJN 



208, fi-om Nuwuk, which is evidi 
weathered. It is a single flat ]iiccc of 
pointed at the end and providetl with 



..Id, a 
single 



is much worn and 
bone 3 inches long, 
ilateral barb. Be- 



SAHKOW K? 



rMO. 



liiii.l this ir 1 iniun\( 
aiucdoiKiiM -i'l< llllo 




U llU ll 1 
sl.l( 
lIUlll 1 
Ot I -1 
s|,l( I 

tiMlmil 



li(liu-l.v to tli( otlid -^ii 
sliallow dcpii Nvioii 1 1 
lltl't] iiid 



Leads I'loiii 
''2 ^ body. Tin 
Fio.2n.-i!,m.- instead of 
ban>iion hiad. xiiis is sho' 
wliicli is Just liki' No. 
grooves tiist appear at 



111(1 lilt 11 widdinl lilt.) 1 bioldrtlf bT.( pro 

I, iipl>iil>, 111 tilt '^iiiu plii't ibtUcotlui bub, 
, pi.M iit^tliLblukjbiitoutlaoppoMte 
IJM hiK liolt islu^c iiidiiugiihih til 
I iiidtluu IK iiolmi f,ioo\Ls lusteid 
1 111 MM 1 ( I bond 111 till solid bod\ one 
iIk 1)( d\ I'M \( i\ ittd into I (1(( p Icpiui 

_i(, \( uliidi w 1st Mdtnth i"ii\t ittd 
111, I . M 1 c I b\ I ti iiisMiM bind piobiblj 
it M ll I III iiiiiiim- loundtlit bod>, md kept 
III pi IK li\ I sli ill w ti lns^^^st {];ioo\e on the 

ii\,\ nil cii it V hiipoon he id with the 
- ,1,1 III i(l< 1>\ iiitlosiii^ I ^ioo\e with thongs 
w i^ M. 11 b\ 1)1 kiiK it 
Siiiitli Souiitl ' 

Ihciitxtioiiii N" ^'» >1 
|<t>Jl I itr -(•'•' Ins t«,) 
bllitti llbiibst til. 1 lull 
J) lit thus nil It isiiu lis 

holdlll^p.Wtl Iiistt idot 
111 opt II tl lllsM ls( ^l()0\e 

t.. ImM till thoiu It his 

tuo s|,,ts pn ill, 1 to tilt 

■~ ), 1 , t ^loiiM luiimiu ol> 
\\]\> 1. til. \ o|M u into 1 
, .0 1/; iii<l_l() Nos S0)44 
si , I n 11, \ 111 lilts of 
piobibh luldMlid i<u tilt 

is till bl nil lillt is \tl\ 
loltloii N<. V),t; [IHMJ IS 
li.iiii il-v I l.isi 11 s, iiibl iii(( 

II. i.lluuiiilb\ NoidtnskioldMiouitht iiituufc 
house at Xiirtli Cape. Xo. 8<»377 [TOG] is a pe- 
, whieli was ]>eiliaiis not general, as it has left 
lilts aiiKiii.u the modern harpoon. Instead of the 
■.\i\v barbs if lias an irregular slot Oil each side, 
iiilly servid t.) hold a blade tif stone, and the 
) ol' til.' b.iily is r.']ilaeed by a cluster of four, 
ii.'ith.M- ill the plane of the blade nor at right 
t, but Ijetweeii the two. Xo modern harpoon 

I'oiut Barrow have more than two barbs on the 

'. next iiiii)rovemeut was to bore the shaft socket 
making it by inclosing a groove with thongs, 
rtii in Fig. 211 (Xo. 8937!) [795], from XJtkiavwih), 
SO.jii [1419] except in this respect. The line 
this stage of the development. 




rir 'lO —Bono harpoon 



' Second GrinneU Exp., vol. 1, Figs, on pp. 



^Vega, vol. 



I Fig. 5. 



MTBDOCH] HARPOONS. 221 

The next step was to obtain greater penetration by substitutiuir a 
triangular blade of stone for the barbed bone point, willi its hicadtli 
still in the plane of the body barb. This blade was citli, r 
of .slate (Xo.8974i [iHiO] from Xu^Tik) or of flint, as in Fi..- 
212 (Xo. S9748 [928], also from Xuwuk). Both of these aiv 
whale harpoons, such as are sometimes used even at the 
present day. 

Before the introduction (tf iron it was discovered that if 
the blade were in.serted at riglit augl.-s to the jilane of tlic 
body barb the harpoon woul<l have a smer hold, since the 
strain on the line would always draw it at right an>>les to 
the length of the wound cut by the blade. This is shown 
in Fig. 213 (No. 5<i(i2(> [I'.MI], a' walrus harpoon head from 
Utkiav-win), which has the slat.- blade inserted in this posi- 
tion. Substituting a metal blade tnr the stone one gives 
us the modern toggle head, as already described. That the 
insertion of the stone blade incceded the rotation of the 
plane of the latter is, I think, conclusively shown by the 
whale harpoons' already mentioned, in spite of the fact that 
we have a bone har- 
poon head in the col- 
lectioii. No. 8937S 
[I2()l], figured in 
Point Barrow report, 
which is exactly like ,„, „, , ,,.j^ 

cept that it has the ""'^"■"'• 

ide ((t r'Kjht (uu/lcs to the iPJaiie 
Of the bod'ybarb. Thi- i>. how- 
ever, a ne\\l\ made model in rein- 

deerantlei-ofiheancient iiai] n, 

and was evidently made by a man 
Ml used t o the modern ])attern that 
he forgot this imj)ortaiit distinc- 
tion. TIk' development of this 
spear head lias been carried no 
therat Point Barrow. Atone 
or two ]ilaces, however, namely, 
at <'und)erland (iulf in the east- 
aud at Sledge Island in the west 
(as shown in Mr. Nelson's collec- 
tion), they go a step further in making the head of the seal harpoon, 
body and blade, of one piece of iron. The shape, however, is the 
same as those with the ivory or bone body. 

'Compare, alao, the walrus harpoon figured by Capt. Lyou, Pan'y'a Secuuil , Voyage. I'l. opposite 
p. 550, Fig. l.-i. 

'See Kiuulien. Contributions, i). 35, and Boas. ■■Central Eskimo," p. 473, Fig. 393. 




Fig. 213. — Harpoon head. 



22-2 Tin: point barrow eskimo. 

All of the Eskimo race, as far as I have any definite information, use 
tojr^'le harpoon hcails. There are specimen.s in the National Museum 
from (Ireenland, ("umherlaiid Gidf, the Anderson and Mackenzie region, 
and from the Alaskan coast from Point Barrow to Kadiak, as well as 
from SI. Lawrence Island, which are all of essiiitially the same type, 
hut sli^;htly iiiodificd in dillerent localities. The harpoon head in use 
at Siiiii'i Sniiinl is of tlie same form as the walrus harpoon heads used 
at i'.ihii Karrow. hut appears always to have the shaft socket made by 
a jiroo\e closed wiili tlioiius.' in Danish Greenland, liowevex, the body 
lias an extra i)airor hilateral barbs below the blade. The Greenlanders 
have, as it were, siibstitiilcd a metal blade for the point only of the 
barbed blade portion of sncli a bone head as No. 89379 [795].^ 

(,"uriously enonf^h, tliis Ibrm of the toj^glo head apjjears again in the 
Mackenzie, and Anderson region, as shown by the extensive collections 
of Ross, Mai-I''arl;iiie, and others. In this region th(>. metal blade itself is 
often cut into one or moic|iaiis of bilateral iKirbs. At the Straits of Fury 
and Ilecla, i'arry found the liarpo,u) head, with a body like the walrus 
harpoon heads at Point I'.aiidw.' but with the blade in the plane of the 
liody barb. Most of the pictures scattered through the work represent 
the blade in this position, but Fig. P.) on the same plate has the blade 
at right angles to the barb, so that the older form may not be universal. 
.\t (lumberlaiid (Julf the form of the body is considerably modified, 
though the bhide is of the usual shape and in the ordiuary iiositiou. 
'I'hc ImiiIv is ihitteiK'd at right angles to the usual direction, so that the 
thickness is nnu;h greater than the width. Tt always has two body 
barbs. On the western coast the harpoon heads an- much less modified, 
though there is a ten(h'ncy to increase the number of body barbs, at the 
same time ornamenting the body more elaborately as we go south from 
I'.eriug Strait. Walrus harpoon heads with a single barb, hardly dis- 
tinguishable from those used at Point Barrow, are in the collectiou from 

tiie Diomedcs 1 all al(uig the uortheru shore of Norton Sound, and 

one also tVoui the iiioiiih of the Kuskoquim. They are probably also 
used from Point liai-row to Kotzebue Sound. At St. Lawrence Island 
and on the Asiatic shore they are the common if not the universal form." 
The seal harpoon head (nauli;) at Point Harrow aj.pears always to have 
the body barb split at the ti|. into two, and this is the case rarely with 
the tii'ki!. This form, wiiicli appears occasionally north of Norton 
Sound (Port ( 'lareuce, Oape N(Hue), appears to be more c(unnion south of 
this locality, where, however, a pattern with the b;irb divided into three 
points.seems to l)e the prevailing form. I will now proceed to the (h'- 

•scription of the dilferent forms of hari n with which these toggle 

heads are used. 

'K;.n.-, M Ciiimi.n Kx].,. vuL l, pp. 4r: ;iii,l 41 
809. Fifja. «-I2. 
'Craiitz. vol. I, p. 140, ami IM. v, I.-i<;.s. 1 mi\ 2, ; 
'2.1 Vnyuso, IM. uppiwil,, p. Mil. Vvs. l.i. 



. ami r.Lvsj 


..■U.S. Naturalist, 


vol. 18, pt. 9, 


Tales, ftc. 


, PI. opposite p. 


111. 


111.".. Fig. I 


. Tlii.s figiiro all 


uw.s tlie blade 



"'^'"'°^"1 HARPOONS. 223 

Tlirowhiff-harpoons are always tlnowii rr,,ni tli.- lian.I witliuiit a 
throwiug-board or other assistance, and are of two sizes one lo ■ d'. 
walmsaiidbeardedseal, and one for tlie small seals, liolh h i\ i- • |,> ..■ 
shaft of wood to the tip of which is attached a hea\y lionc or i\,,i'\ tor" 
shaft, iLSually of greater diameter than the shaft and sonicw hat cluli- 
shaped. This serves the special imrposc of -ivim; w.'ii^ht to tlie head 
of the harjioon, so it can be darted with a snre aim. The native name 
of this part of the spear, nkuniailnta (dreenlandie. .ikimailiitaK, /rr/y,/), 
indicates its design. This coTitrivanee of weight in-- the head of tin' 
harpoou with a heavy foresha ft is pecniiar to the western I'IsIumio < »n 
all the eastern harpoons (see tii^nres rcfcired to alio\c and the Alnsenm 
collections) the foreshaft is a sinijile cai)of bone no laiycr than the shaft 
the tip of which it protects. Between the foreshaft and the tousle head 
is interposed the loose .shaft (i'giinu), a slender rod of bone wliose lii) 
fits into the shaft socket of the head, while its bntt tits hxtsely in a socket 
in the tip of the foreshaft. It is secured to the shaft by a thong jnst 
long enongh to aUow it to be unshipped from the ftn'esliaft. This not 
only prevents the loose shaft from breaking under a lateral strain, but 
by its play facilitates unshipping the head. On these harpoons intended 
for throwing, this h)ose shaft is always slioit. This brin.^s the wei-ht 
of the foreshaft close to the head, while it leaves space enongh for the 
head to iieuetrate bcyoinl the barb. 

The walrusharpoon varies in size, being ada|)ted to the streni;tli and 
stature of the owner. Of the si\ in our collection, the lon-cst, when 
mounted for use, is !) feet (i inches long, and the shortest 5 feet S 
inches. The ordinary l(>ngtli appears to be about 7 feet. It has a long, 
heavy shaft (ipna) of wood, usually between r, ami feet long and 
tapering fr<un a dianu-tcr of 1.] inches at the head to about 1 inch at the 
butt. The iK'ad is not nsuafly fastened directly to the line, but has a 
leader of double thong 1 to L' feet hmg, with a becket at the end into 
which the main line is loojx'd or hitched. At the other end of the line, 
which i.s about 30 feet long, is another becket to wliich is fastened a 
float consisting of a whole sealskin inflated. When the head is fitted 
on the tip of the loose shaft the line is brought down to the middle of 
the shaft and hooked by nu'ans of a little becket to an ivory peg (ki'lerb- 
wln) projecting from the side of th(^ shaft. The eastern Eskimo have, 
ill place of the simi)le becket, a neat little contrivance consisting of a 
plate of ivory lashed to the line with a large slot in it which hooks over 
the catch, but nothing of the sort was observed at Point P.arrow. 

The harpoon thus mounted is poised in the right hand with tlu' fore- 
finger resting against a curved ivory projection (ti'ka) and darted like a 
wliite man's harpoon, the float and line being thrown overboard at the 
same time. When a walrus is struck the head slijis oft" ami to-.^li's as al- 
ready described; the line detaches itselffrom the catch, leaving the shaft 
free to th.at an<l be i)icked up. The float is now fastened to the wal- 
rus, and, like the shaft of the seal dart, both shows his whereabouts 



224 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



and acts as a ilraf,' on 




n 




lis movements until he is "played" enough for 
the hunters to come up and dispatch him. 
This weapon is called u'uakpuk, "the great 
u'na or spear." U'na (unak, u'nan) appears 
to be a generic term in Eskimo for harpoon, 
hut at Point Barrow is now restricted to the 
harpoon used for stabbing seals as they come 
up to their breathing holes. 

We collected six of these walrus harpoons 
complete and foity-two separate heads. Of 
these, No. 5(i770 [534], Fig. L'Ua, 1ms the most 
typical shaft and loose shaft. The shaft is 
of spruce 71 inches long, roughly rounded, 
and tapering from a diameter of 1^ inches at 
the tip to 0-S at the butt. The foreshaft is of 
white walrus ivory, 0-7 inches long, exclusive 
of the wedge sliai)ed tang which iits into a 
cleft in the ti]! of the shaft. It is somewhat 
club shaped, being l-ti inches in diameter at 
the tij) and tajjcring to 1'3 just above tlie 
Imtt, whicli expands to the diameter of the 
shaft, and is sej)arated li'om the tang by a 
s(piare transverse shoulder. The shaft and 
foreshaft. are fastened together by a whip- 
])ing of broad seal thong, jnit on wet, one end 
passing tlirough a. hole in tlie rmvsliaft one- 
i|u;nter inch from the shaft, and kept from 
slipping by a low transverse ridge on each 
side of the tang. In the tip of the foreshaft 
is a deej), round socket to receive the loose 
shaft, which is a taiiering rod of walrus ivory 
1-4 inches long, shouldered off at the butt, 
which is 0-7 inch in diameter, to a blunt, 
rounded tang 0-9 inch long. It fits loosely 
into the foreshaft up to the shoulder, and is 
secured by a piece of narrow seal thong 
which passes through a transverse hole one- 
half inch abo\c the shoulder. The end is 
spliced to the slainlingjiart with double slits 
about 6 inches from the loose shaft, and the 
other end makes a couple of turns outside of 
the lashing on the shaft mentioned above and 
is secured with two half-hitches. 

The line catch (ki'lerbwin) is a little, blunt, 
l)ackward-poiiiting hook of ivory inserted in 
the shaft 1 7 inches fi'om the tip and projecting 
1 and one-fourth inches farther back and 90 



"'^""'"™1 WALRUS HARPOONS. 225 

degrees roinid the shaft tnnu the line ratdi is tlie lin-;cr rest— a conical 

shaft ami secured Itya lasliini;- ,,t whaiciHiiLc, wliicii passes") liniuoji two 
correspuudiiig holes, one in tiieresl and one in tln'sjiall. Tlie head and 

liue belongin- to this hari n are intended tor Imnt in- I he hi-arih'd 

seal, and «-ill lie desciilied lielow. No. ."■)(;77l' |."").!(;j, h'i-. lMI/*, from 
Litkiavwin, is lifted with fairly typical wahus -car. The heail is of 
the typical form, (i im-lies Ion.;, with a com.uhd body of waiiiis ivory, 
ormimeiited with im-ised lines <-olored with redochei-,an.l a Made ofsteel 
secured hy a whalelione rivet. The ■•leader," whii'ji is aliont l.^i incjics 
loug, is made hy passin- om- cud of a piece of stont walrnsliide tlioiig 
about one-cjuarter inch wide thron-h riu' liiu' liole and donhliiij;- it w ith 
the head in the bight, .so that one jiart is about <i inches I he loni;cr. 
The two parts are st<(pi>ed together about 1' inches from the head 
with a bit of sinew braid. The ends are Joined and made into a bedcet 
as follows: The longer end is doubled back foi 7 inches ami a slit cut 

through both parts about L' implies \y the end. The shorter end is 

pa.ssed thr(mgh this slit, and a slit is .ait .'. implies from the end of this, 
through which the loop of the other eml is iiassed and all drawn taut'. 
The whole joint is then tightly seized with .sinew braid so as to have a 
beeket ;! inches ami a free end 4 iuehes long. This becket is looped into 
an eye U imdies loug at the end of the main line, made by doubling 
ovi-r .") inches of the end and stojipini; tlu' two parts tirndy together 
with sinew braid. The line is of the hide of the bearded seal, .about the 
same diameter as the leader, and 1.'7 h-et loug. It is in two neaily e.pml 
I)arts, sjiliced together with double slit.s, rtrmly seized with sinew- 
braid. There is a be<d...t about S inches long at tin- other end of the 
liuo for attaching the lioal. made by doubling o\er the eml and tying a 
can-iek bend, the en<l of which is stopped back to the standing ]iart 
■with sinew braid. The becket to hook upon the line catch is a bit of 
sinew braid, fastened to the line LV, feet from the head, as follows: One 
end being laid against the line it is doubled in a bi.-ht and ilu' end is 
whii)|)ed down to the liiu' b\ the other end, which makes lixc turns 
round them. 

7)oons in detail, beginning with the head. Oui- series is so large, coii- 
taiiung in all Ibrty .Mght heads, besides some spare blades, that it 

probably gives a fair rei.reseutation of the c moii variafious. The 

longest of Ihis seiies is (I inches long anil the shortest :!.],but by far the 
greater number are IVom W, to ."> inches long. Their proi.ortious are 
usually about as in the types figured, but the longhead Just tigured 
(.No. .".(;77:.' |.');:»j) is also unusually slendel'. Sheet iirass is the com 
inonest material for the blade (thirty blades are of this material), though 
iron or steel is sometimes used, and rarely, at iircscnt. slate. There is 
one slate bladeil head in the seiies (No. .-.(ilil'O |l!l!l|i tignred above, and 
four blades for such heads. The blaih' is commonly of the shape of the 



!AKi;0\V EISKIMO. 

;. vaiyiiig I'roiu a rather long 

.slate l)Ia(lc Just mentioned to a 

IK" u ith \ crx stiouyly curved edges 

iNo.SDTnd [l();jS]),wliieli is peculiar 

il.\ walrus harpoon head with a body of 

•■/r| rciiKiccr antler. It also has an iron blade and a 

^M '■'^'■'^ "' ''""' ""'^ sehloiii with rounded hasal an- 

" '"" -lesMias I" Ih' almost heart shaped, like Fig. 2156 

(N(>..")(i(H'l |i.'s;i| 1. A lesscDiuiiKin shape of blade 

is lanccdlate, with the iiase eat off s(piare as in 

Fiii. l.'l(;<( ( No. S'.iTfU ['.M()| ). Oidy eight blades 

' of tills shape. A still more 

iliai shape iit blade, of which We saw only 

si.eeiMieii, i,s shown in Fig. 2106 (No. S9700 

I'.U;!]). This is made of brass. It was perhaps 

neantfoi an imitation of the barbed blades used 

It tlie MaeUeii/.ie, of \\ hieh 1 have already sicken. 

The blade, w hen of metal, is .generally fastened 

11 with a sinule rnct. One only out of the whole 

and three are sinijily wedged into the blade sUt. 




The si 

to have been riveteil: Xordeiis- 
kiiild, however, tij^ures a walrus 
harpoon from Port (Mareiiee' 

The rivet is generally made of 
whalebone, but oilier materi; 
are sometimes iis.-d. For 
stance, in the Maries eollect 
two have ri\etsotiro]i. two of 
wood, and live of raw hide. The 
liodyis-eiieiallv made of white 
walrus i\or.\, ( live of those col- 
lected ariM.f hard hoiie.aiid one 
already mentioned and ligured. 
No. S'.IT.-.o \W.\S\. rig. ij'l.w. is 
of reindeer antler), and the 
hexagonal shape, olten with 
rounded edges, ami I he line 
grooves coiitiniK 
asiiiFig.l>17«. No.S'iT.-.T [!I4T|, 
apj.ears to be the c.mnioiiest. 
Three out of the forl.v eiulil 
liave four-sided bodies. Ir js ' "■ 

unusual for the bod.v barb t,, be hifunat 




b 

I'lial w.ilnis -harpoon lieuds. 

is couiiiion fiirtlier south. 



Only three out of tlic tint 
56013 [53], Fig-. 1.'17/;. is an . 
The specinieus tiiinifil s 
which always consist <>f iiui 
with soot. These never reit 
resent natural objects, \m\ 
are alwaysconventioiial pat- 
terns, generally a single or 
double border on two or 
more faces with short ob 
liquecross-liues and branch 
es. Harpoon heads at i'oiiit 
Barrow are prol)abl\ ihmi 
ornamented with tiie --(n 
cles and dots," so common 
on other implements and on 
the harpoons of the soutli 
ern Eskimo. 

Twenty-eight of the lieads 
still have the leadeis at 
tachedtothem. Tiie object 
of this short line is to en i 
blethe hunter to readd\ di 
tach a broken head and put 
on a fresh one without going 
to the trouble of undoing a 
splice, whicii must be made 
strong to keep I he head from 
separating from tlic Hne. I 
the skin of tlie walrus 





. 217.— Typic:il walrus-harpoon lu'aUs. 

f a stout piece of rawhide thong, 
seal, about one-third inch in diameter, 
and usually from '2 to 
3 feet hmg. It is al- 
ssed through 
the line hoh', as in the 
specimen describetl, 
and the ends are 
made into a becket 
forattachingtheliiie, 
with an end left to 
serve as a handle for 



Fli., L'l,'<, -W:.lrus-h:,rpo„nli..:„l, Kithkader. ,„;,iu Jinecuds ill a 

becket. Occasionally (two are made tins way) the longer end is simply 
doubled in a bight, and the thice i)arts are then seized together with 
sinew braid, but it is genera]l,\ made with a si)lice, the details of which 
differ slightly on the different leaders. 



22.S 



rilK I'Ol.NT BAKKOW KSKIMO. 



is tl 



il)e(l. 




V slit 
ilthis 



When the longer 
■mnili lioth parts close to the eud of 
iiiiuli w lii( li tlic shorter end is passed. 
s then cut a lew inches from the tip 
cut, the bight of ihe becket passed 
tiir(Mi,uli tliis slit and all drawn taut. This 
iiial<cs a very strong splice. Fourteen beck- 
cts aic s])liced in this way. A variation of 
this splice has a slit only through the end 
part of the longer end, the shorter eud be- 
ing i)ass('d through and slit as before. lu 
one becket the standing part of the longer 
end is i)assed through the slit of the end 
part bcfoic going through the line hole, 
wliilc tlic rest of till' becket is made as be- 
V rcN crscd s])licc is found on three 
if tlic leaders, wliicli is made as follows: 
When the long end is doubled over, the 
short end is slit as usual and the longer end 
I through this and slit close to the 
tip. Through this slit is passed the head 
and all drawn taut. The splice is always 
tirnily seized w itli sinew l)raid. The main 
vcs to attach the head to the 
float, is always made of stout thong, prefer- 
ably the skin of the bearded seal (very fine 



crly made, triiuincd off 
on I lie edges s,, as to 
l>e almost roun.l. It i> 
alnrnt 10 yards Ion-, 
It is fastened into tin- 
becket of the leader 
will, a becket hitch tied 
upside down (No. -,(!771 [.W)J, I 
"iMde cither as on the spccimei 
Spliced with double slits. The 




bed, Xo.. -.(1770 [-,;j(lj. Fig. L'l'.t),. 
■(du't at the other end for attacl 



MFRDorHl WALET'S IIAKI 

m<i tbctioat is made citli 
back to the staniliii:: i 
567(17 [531]). uv by spli( 
5G7»;!»). 

The loose sliaft varies very iiTtic in sinqic 
thoug-li it is soinetiines loniided otV at th( 
buttwitlioiita slioiilder. Imt the line \vhi( 
seeures this to thefureshatt is put on ditl'er 
eiitly on each of the six spears. Five o 
them have the end simply ]iassed tlinm 
the hole in the loose shaft and s] 
the staiidinjj ])art. but two (the type lii:nre(l 
and Xo. r)(J7(i.S [:,:V2\) hav 
carried down and hitelH'd round rue i]\ 
tlie shaft: another has it ])assed tlironi; 
hole in tiie foreshaft, taken 1.^ turns rou 
this and knotted (Xo..-)t!:71 [.");! 
has a loop as louj;- as the foreshaft with the 
short end passed under the first turn of the 
shaft lashing before it is spliced, and the 
long end secured as on the first mentioned: 
and the fifth has the end ]tassed through a 
hole in the foreshaft and carried ilown ami 
wrapi)ed round the shaft lashint;-. The 
sixth has one < ii<l |i issc d t 
in the smallest put of tlu 
knotted at the . nd tin otln i . n<l 
up through the hoh ni tin loos, s], itt ind 
down toa secoml hoh ni tin ton ■^li itt 
to tin" first, then ui)thiou^h th. Ioom -h iff 
and down through tin histlioi( iiidtmkid 
under the two i)uts <in tl 

The foreshaft i- niuh ( 
the hard hone of tin \\ ilius | ,\\ ind \ 
little in ibrm and diin(nsions I 
times ornamentdl i)\ i n\in_ i-, in N 
5(>772 [536], or b\ uu isul pittnn- i- m s| , 
Fig. 21'2, No. 5(.J5s [Ms] uid _. m i iil\ li is '^A 
one or two deep loniiitudiii il notchts in tin \\^ 
thickest part, in wliidi tli. I 
drawn snugly down It iisn i]l\ i^ loiiied 
to the shaft I'.y i siont nm d,. shipultmo ^^ 
which tits iiiio i < oi k -poiidnu i lett m the 
tieeu Ills 
ami a w lapjiing of si d ilion_ oi •~in( v. In iid 
.sometimes mad( iiiok s( < uk 1)\ i)issiu_ 




230 Til 

one I'lid tliioitjili li(tlcs 
lllMlU tli< tuv "II til 

bllllt 111. sllllt Its. I 



rmNT BARR.lW ESKIMO. 



■sliiift. N.I. .")()7<is [."i.'.i'] is peculiar in 

I til. (Oil. s]i(iim1iiu . 1. tt m the toie 
til in sli ip. mil pinpoitions, and at 
nil. mills 111 nil ot ash oi other haul 
till slups lli( hne fatch IS geuer 
i\iii\ 111 ii ii.l bone hke the one de 

I I mil IIS lii\( small siiews tasteued 
i\i tins puipose The tingei lest is 

II sli i|ii IS (111 til. t\]H iiid tistiiicd 
liiit \i> ifiTTl ["■> .i| h IS this mi.k ot 
iliiiiiiih < iiMil iiitii I seal'h head 
siiit.il In iinnid bits of ivoiv 'with 

III ml ml 111 th. li. id This is evi 
SI il ih 1^ (si I below ) as thelongitiid 

( Inn to n ip. now sii\es no puipose 
I lisliin^ ot wh lit bont, whuh luns 
ou_li I tians\eise holem the knob 
.. iiiblin^ these m type are used by 
\oirli ViiRiK 1 w lu 1 evei they habit 
Ills <tt iiiim pi II ( s this heavv spear 
ttwitli 1 l.iiu sli 11]) ]>i(k of ivoi\ like 
II II luoot thes. 1 lu. liuiiooiis 1], 
ilh toi tht imisiiit ot til. b. ii.liil 
«lii. h au ot pu.is. h tin sum 
III sill ill seal haipoous lu tht < ol 
Ills line lanceolate iron blades, 
lioilii s with double biibs, and aie luoie 
I Ills No -)(.770 [-.34], Fig 219, 
.1 It th. widtstpait and fastened 
(1^' tirlioinshiiu) without ileidd th. < iid 
bdiu siiiipb pissid till mull till bill hob iiid si i/i d down 
to th. st mdiiu jiiit witii sill, w 111 ml 1 Ins is tin in, tlmd 
(It itti, liiiu till ill 111 ol till sill ill s, il linpooiis lliislni, 
is so loiu tint It nii\ iini bun In Id in tin bint mil not 
attiilnil to 1 lloit \o it.Tos I I. -I liowMei his i k id.n 
NMth ill.. ill ol lln oidiiiin st\l. I 1^ J2H, No 5li()ll 
|VM IS I In nl siiiiilii (otlios, lusi dis, iib.d aiidpiobibh 
fioni Its SI/, lilt, ml, il tin 1 u,, si iK It is hishh oina 
1. lid. in. I ill. is, d pattein 
on loi siinll SI lis IS 111 exa. t top\ in 
isliiipoon with tin iddition of a long SMT 2 
t i\oi.\ .It till liiitt. The line, however, ^10223- 
-^ l"n,u, ami tiie .'inl never leaves the wdZLrgo 
hand. 1 he lin.' is iiii,l,ril loimd the shaft back of the line ^eais. 
catch, which now only snvcs to keen the line from slipping forward, as 
line. This harii.ion is used cxclii- 




ni. iitid with tin us 
111. tliiowuu llll 
nuniatiii. ol tin w 
ba,\oin t sii ip, il pii 
is upwards ot .".0 y; 



tin- shaft is 



i-tai'li,'il IVoin th 



■SEAL HAHPOON!- 



231 



S1\P1\ U)\ 1( tlK \11U s( ll-« 111 It ll l\< 1m I II shol III iipi II 

holes oi leads lit « it< i w itliiii i| ii tiiu disi m, , Ikhii tin 
edsjt ot tlie solid k i md is tliuiwn imiisih i^ iIk 
w.ilius licupoou is txKjl thittlH ( lid III till Inn IS 
held in tlu kfthnid In ti i\( liiu ,,\ , i (Ik i. . Ih. 
hue with the htdd itti. Ii<d is tiildi.! m Im,^ h inks 
and sinus <"i tin ^iin ( isi it tin liiil lln iist<il 
th< W( ipoii is ( iiiK d in tin li ind md si i \ < s is i st ill 
ill w ilkiii^ md (linihiiu unmu tin i< < \\li(ii tlu 
slniip iiuk Is nsi hil to iniMiir slijipin^ md lo tn 
doubtful itt aid dso i n ildi s tli. Iinnti i Ii l.i. ik 
awaythiui(< at the td^( ot tin Imh so is to di \« 
his f> line up to the solid tiot It < in dsosii\( is i 
ba\omt in < ise ot lutcssits lliis pi i uli n loim ot 
haipoon I'M conliried to tin loisttiom I'omt liiuow to 

Beiiua Stiait, theoiih ic_ wlni. tin s, d is Inuiti d 

with tin iifli III tin SMI ill opi II liol. s ot « it( 1 ' 

Mm ( iii\ iiol. Ill tin \ iliii ilist w IS wiittdi Ihn( 
h iiind tioiii Ml Ildin l.ilioiii ottln mils, inn it ()\ 
fold til It llnii (olli. lion tout mis t\^ooi tlii.i sp. . i 

IIK lis ot tills \(M pittdll ot ll npooli liiidoillitcdh ,ol 
l<(t.dl.\soi t tlu otin. Is ot tl ( ///ss/» (oils, ^ 

nioil. Ill iii\, ntioii dm totin mtiodii, ti,,n ollii, inns Ma. 
biionus niittuilil, istli, /./«ss,)/» \ isit, d this i, ^nm /w 
bitoK hi< inns \\,i, known to tli, 1 skiino It was'O^W 
pioliiblv oiuiiiilh lilt, 11(1,(1 t,)i tin , i|)tiu( ot s( lis 
' liiiil,,l out on tin i, , in tin , iih sumnu , llm, is 
no doubt lio\\,\(i th ll II is It tin j.ks, nt.lix used 
t'oi iiothiiij, hilt 1, tin \ 111^ 

Ihoufih tills \\( ipoii w IS iiiin, is ill\ us, d it I oiiit 
Baiiow, \vt liijtp, md to obi iiii oiih two sp, , im, ns 
possibly bt< Ills, t 




lai-y an ini])!, m, nt lo put willi lulith \o s'l'io; «) ,' 1('], ^'''jj 
K.O-)] Pus _'_'! _'_', his I 11, w sliilt , t, but WIS ixAV-'iLfc 



tin. It w IS, ,11, 



fol Sll, SiHll I l.t, 

Tin shilt (i|.ii 1) IS ol 
ill, ll in di iiiK t, I t 1 
Tin i(, jmk (tun) ol 
1 imli wid, h IS I loi 
butt ol 111, sli itt ( 



, uon I 1 in. Ins loiu md 
U httiiu iiifo I liol( 111 th, 
i III, sh itr I sill ill ho], IS 

diillid m ,,L, o tin pi, I md Thioiuh this is 

liiss, (I 1 Int ol s, ,1 thoiu tin ,nds ol whidi 11. 1 lid \| 

aloiii;- the slnitt and iieatlv whip|,cd down with sinew ^ ^ , . 

braid, with the end wedji'cd into a slit in the wnod. si-ui harpuon. 



■ the 1 



Wfupou. Aiue 



1), 42a. 



TIIK PdIXT HAKKOW ESKIMO. 



\ 



The lorcshiift (ukumailuta) is of walrus 
ivory. 4.i, inches loug' aud li inches in cliam- 
(•rcrat tlie tliii'ke.st part, aud seomred to the 
shair liy a wliipping (iii'mxa) of seal thoug. 
'{"he Idosc sliaft (iijiiiifi) is also of ivory and 2 
iiiilics loiii; and secured by a thong (ipiuta) 
spli<('(l inti) a ](«)]i through the hole at the 
liiifl, as ]ireviously described. The end is 
hitclicd r.miid the tip of the shaft with a 
iiiailiiii; liitih. followed by a clove hitch be- 
low the wliipping. The ivory finger rest 
( ti'lia) is fastened on with a lashing of whip 
cord (white man's) passing roimd the sliaft. 
The line catch (ki'lerb^viii), which was of 
ivory and shaped like those on the walrus 
hari)oons, has been lost in transportation. 
The head differs only in size from those just 
described as intended for the beai'ded seal, 
I e.\cei)t in having a hexagonal body. It is 
I .'}-;j inches long and has a blade of iron fas- 
^ tened into a body of walrus ivory with a 
fj .single woo(h'n rivet. While there is no 
I detaclial)lc leader, tlie head is attached by 
5 a separate piece of the same material to the 
I Ihie (tukaksia). wliicli is SO feet 10 inches 
I long and made of a single piece of fine seal 
I thoni; alioul one-ei-htli inch thick. This 
' slioitii pii < I 1-, ihont J7 inches long and 
isp i->s( il tlniMuh till lint hole and doubled 
- so tint oiii p litis ilitth the longer. Itis 
tistimd Nti(in,l\ to the end of the line 
b\ I (oiiijiIk it(d spli( e made as follows: 
V sht K ( nt 111 tlie end of the main line 
tliioiuli wlinli tie passed both ends of 
till sli,,it hn. Tin lon!,ei part is then 
>lif ihoiit _• Indus fiom tlie end and the 
shoitii pur i)iss, d tluoiuli the slit, and 
1 sht lilt ilosi to tli< .nd of it, through 
Willi li til. loiun . nd IS passed. The 
^^llol( IS thin di iwn t iiit iiid th<' longer 
nid(lo\( liitdit d lonnd th( mainline. 

No vi'His [l(r,s] IS on. ot these spears 
lU^wl K id\ toi diituu The line is se- 
(iiicd at ibont tli« middle of the shaft 
^^]th a «on|ih ot in uhng hitche.s. This 
spei imt n. t \( i pt tht head, is new and was 
1 ither ( lulessh midc foi the market. It 
Ims neithei line i at( h noi finger rest. The 



M II \l 



I II] wirl 
iikI Mki 



foresliair .md k < pn k ik 
knotted iouihI tlK'tijn)! tlr 

a series of lift liaiuUd M>l(li( 1 V |iir( li, ., Hi, , ,|,i mi,, h _^ 

which holds till lousi -.li iH i^ |, ,^^, ,] tliioiuli ili. Ii<i|< nni nid 
knotted iiid tin otln i nid liiti he d into tin )iiill, \ n ili, v,,, illoi 
part of tilt foil sh if r 1 In h. id i^ hk, tli it oi tli< incctdnu 
but has I (oiiiiid il IxxU <i| k md, , i nitit i i luiiitiHUi m lu ii il 
forseal-haiitooulM i<N md tin Iiik win. h is,,t sTontsm. w hi nd 
) .fitr loiii, is ittulnd to It siiiiph 1,\ 
pissin^ tlK did tlnoiuh th( Itm In.h 
Hid t\in^ it ^\Itll I ( lo\( hitdi to tin 
sf uidinji ]) lit 'H iiK li( s iiom the hi id 
llusspi n i>. ibuut tin saiia si/c is the 
])iuidiiij, Thisi \\( ipons an all of 
tin siini> <,eiiiial ])ittiin, but ^ m in 
liiif,tli ai< online to tin In ij>lii nt tin 
oNMiii rin hi ids |(,i this, h nix.oiis 

as Mill ist-.l tin ntlni tolllinf s, d h 11 

])ooii 111 iisiulh il)onr > UK In s loii^, 
and Is I mil li im liiiiioliti hlidis 
III! bod\ is .,1111 ilh loiioidal, ottiii 
in nil ot uiiidiii iiitli 1 mil ahr i\s 
il>]niiiirl\ with 1 d..iil)l« bub It is 

FlO. 226 ,Iil III 1 ir-, 1 ^fllnlllh ]ll Mil but SOUK tlllll s OIUI 

'"H ' itid Iik< tin w ilnishaii»noii Inads 

No. .Sl)7s4 I i()()N| w IS III nil b\ Ibi'bw a i, tin Nun it iniin uii 
when tliiiikiiu lit coiiiiiu f<> wiiitn it I tkiiwMn He h id 
had no expi m in ( m s, dm, lii\iii_ ipj) ninth ^i>i nt all liis 
winters on tin iixtismlmd md I Ins h u pooii hi id si » iiis to 

have be, 11 Innind is ims itisi n toi \ b\ his m \\ tin mis it 

TJtkiav\Mii Jt hioks ilk. 1 \ii\ toll I il.li iiiiili liiir is nun 
suall.v small, b,iiij,oiil\ _" m. h. s l,,iu 

We saw oulv on. sion, Mni. t, i , m il Imp. on No s'li _> , 
[MIS], ris -:!-'<> Nils is 1 li_lil olu. _i..ii ml, 111,1 turn 
giilar, with pii nil iih dull I . Li s 111,1 point I i< h t i< , is.ou 

caved d tin i. is i liol. Im i ii\,t ( pm tin i id. 

bladedlmi iifi,iiiiilb\ N,.i.l. iiskiol I m I i.t.ii..lto i1m,\. 

It is 2 nil lies loiij; <iiiil 7 nil II will, ii iln l'is. It ipp. iis 

to Inivi^ bien ki pt as <iii mini, i 1 In otlni lot t s, d ii ii 

poon comes properly under the next head. 




HarpooH.s. — I'Vir tli.' .a 
to their breathiiiji- holes . 
whi.'h has a slioit wood. 
pi.k an. I a l.in-. shMider. 



(f seals as they come u]) for air 
ks in the ice a harpoon is used 
1. armed, as before, with an ice 
shaft suited for thrustini;- down 



.>;>4 Tin: I'OINT liAIJKOW KSKIMO. 

till- ■<iu;ill liriMtliiiii; liolf. Ii can'.'s ;i m'uili; like the other harpoon. but 
hi- ciiilv a sliort line, llie eiiil of ■ liicli is made fast permaueiitly to the 
<hatt Such harpoons arr used hy all Eskimo wherever they are in the 
h ihjidr watchinu' lor seals at their hi'eat liiui;- holes. The slender part 
oCilif -hafr. iiowever. is not always loose.' The foreshaft is simidy a 
.stoui I'rrrulf for the eml of tlif shaft. These weapons are in general use 
at i'oinrl'.arrowan.iarevrry neatly made. 

W,. ohrainrd luo sp.M-imeas. of xvhich Xo. SiHIKt [1(!04], Fig. 227, will 
serve as the ty|ie. The total length of this spear when rigged for u.se 
is .") tfi4 ;! inehes. The shaft is of spruce, 20| inches long and 1-1 inches 
in the middle, tajtering to (»-il at the ends. At the butt is inserted, as 
before, an i\ory in- pirk (tiiu) ot the form ah'eady described, 13f inches 
lonu' and lashed in with sim'w braid. The foreshaft. (kiitu) is of walrus 
ivorv. nearl\- cNlindrical. -"i-^ inrhes long and 0-9 inch in diameter, 
.shonlderetl at tin' Initt and titted into the tip of the shaft with around 
tang. Thr latter is \cry neatly whijiiied with a narrow strip of white 
wiialebone. whicli makes ele\ en turns and has the end of the last turn 
forced into a slit in the wood and wedged with a round wooden peg. 
Fnder this whipping is the hill of a, tern as a charm for good luck. (As 
the boy who pointed this out to me said, "Lots of seals.") 

Th(! loose shaft (igimu) is of bone, whale's rib or jaw, and has two 
transverse holes abo\-e the shoulder to receive the end of the assembling 
/ line (saliioinia). which not only holds the loose shaft in 

lace, but also <'oHnects the other parts of the shaft so 
lat in case the wood breaks the i>ieces will not be 

-t;t]_L_ 7" (iroiiped. It is a long piece of seal thong, of which one 

171 ^T*' end nudces a turn round the loose shaft between the 
J holes; the other end is ])assed through the lower hole, 

ofhishmgonsi'urit'. tlieu through the upper and carried down to the tip of 
tiie shaft, where it is hitched just below the whalebone whipping, as fol- 
lows: three turns are nnnle loniid tin' shall, the lirst over the standmg 
l)art, the second ninlci. and tiie third oxer it; the end then is passed 
under 3, over 2, and undei- I (Fig. 22S), and all drawn taut; it tlien runs 
down the shaft ahnost to the buttlashing and is secured with the same 
hitch, and the end is whip])ed around the butt of the ice pick with &ve 
turns. The head (nauln) is of the oidiuary pattern, 2-8 inches long, with 
a copper blade and antler body. The hue (tiikaktin) is a single piece of 
seal thong (I feet long, and is fastened to the head without a leader, by 
simply ijassing the end through the line-hole, doubling it over and 
stoi)i)ing it to the standing part so as to make a becket 21 inches long. 
The other end is imide fast round the shaft and assembling line just 
back of the nihhlle. as folh.ws; An eye is nmde at the end of the hne, 
by cutting a slit close to the tip ami pushing a bight of the Hne through 
this. The end then makes a turn rouiul the shaft, an<l the other end, 
with the head, is pnssed tlinmgh this eye and drawn taut. ^Yhen 
mouuted^m^use, the head is lifted on the tii) of the loose shaft as usual 

' Piiiry, Sfcona Voyage, p. 507, Iglulik, 




it can !>.■ cnsily slip,,,.,!. | 
sliaft by rlic rii,] ,,rili,' ass 
or two IdMsc tmiis naiiiii 
.l(.nh!(..l int.. 
ft and ass 
The otlicr siM-cimcii is< 
sli-litly (litrcivnt i.rn],(.rt 
iiiclies Idii.u and a jiirk I'.f inrlics l(,n,--. TL 
sliaft is of ivory, and tliciv arc lasliin-s of wiiil( 
W'lialebonc at cadi end of tlic shaft. Tl 
bliiiji- line is hitched 
as round the two ends of the sh 

tted round the pick. The Hue is, .f very stout |i:i: 
sinew braid, and has an ey neatly spliced in the |' 
end for looping it round the sliaft, Im-, i'l'!», N. 
S'Jaol [l(ISL'|,isa tnodel of 
made for .sale. It is Kij ii 

ill all its j.arts, cxcci.t that the whole head is PSi 
of ivory, even to liaviuf;- the ends <if tlie shaft ^ 
whipped with liyiitcolored whalebone, Theshalt ff 

isof i.ine and the rest of w;,,_ 

of .sinew braiil. We also colic, 'red four loose 
m sliafts for such harpoons. One of these. N,.. 
I J) .S94.S!) [802], is of whale's b(Uie. and unusually 
I short, only I t in, dies lou.i;-. It perhaps belono-ed 
^>j to a lail's spi'ar. Th,> ,,tlier thre.. aiv loni;-. 20 to 

shown by tli,> spiral twist in tli,' .main. 

'i'he harpoon iiscl tor the whali' fishery is a 
liea\y. linlky wcaiion, whiidi is ne\ cr thrown, but 
thi'ust with lioth hands as th,' whale risi's uinler 

in a lar^c i\,iiy ,-roti'li, sliap,',! like a rowl,i,'k, in 
the bow, Th.' shaft is ,,f w,,o,l au,l S ,,r !l teet 
hill--, an.l th,-iv is 11,, I,, OS,. Shalt, the b,,iie ,ir 
\. ivory foreshatt. Immii.^' taiH^reil off t,. a shMiilci' 

point of such a shape that the ImmiI easily iin 
Fk. -).- ships. This tbre.shaft is not w.M-hted, as in tli,' 

I'nL '■" w.Mpon wlii,-h d,M.s i„,t h^av,. tin- lian,l," The 
liarpoon line is fitted with two intiateil sealskin tloats. 

No eoniplct,-. -ennine whalili- liarpo,iiis u.'iv ,-ver of- '^Z 
fered for sale, but a man .-it Nuwfik ina,i,- a v.'ry ''xci-b ,_,, j,';;,,™, 

lent re,lu,.,Ml hd ab,iut two tliinls the usual .size (No. p™',,!. " ' 

8'J!M)!l 1I(I2;'.|, Im,u, •S.'.O), whiidi will serve as the type of this w. 




\Ri;i)\V ESKIMO. 

in Iciiizili wliiMi liiiK'-Ml I'or use. The 
slialt is (pliiiiic. ."> Ifct Si iudie.s long, 
with its jiTcatrst iliaiiictcr (li inches) 
well forward of the middle and ta- 
]nTed more toward the bntt than 
toward the tip, which is chamfered 
off on one side to lit the butt of the 
toresiiatt (ij;imu). and shouhlered to 
)thc ]ashin,-in place. Thefore- 
1 is of whale's iionc. 11.^ inches 
;. three -sided witli one edge 
rouniied 1 lit. and tapers from a diam- 
etei- of I inch to a tapering rounded 
l)oiut Ih inches long, and slightly- 
curved away from tlie tlat fac.. of the 
foreshaft. It will easily he seen that 
the shape of this tip lacilitates the 
unsiiipping of the hca(L The hutt is 
clianifered off on the thit face to fit 
the chamfer of the shaft, and the 
wiiolc foreshaft is slightly curved in 
the same direction as the tip. It is 
secured to the shaft by a stout whip- 
ping of seal thong. The head is 7 
inches h.ng, and has a 1)ody of wal- 
rus ivory, whicli isornaniented with 
iH<-ise,l iiatterns colored led with 
oeher. and a blade of dark reddish 
In-own .jasper, neatly tiaked. This 
blade is not unlike a large arrow 
head, being triangular, with curved 
edges, and a short, broad tang im- 
liedded in the tip of the body, which 
is seized round with sinew braid. 
Tiie body is unusually long and slen- 
der anil is lour sided, with a single 
Iiui-. sharp barb, kei'led on the outer 
face. The line hole and Hue grooves 
■AVf ill the usual jiosition, but the 
peruliarity of the head is that the 
hlade is inserted witli its breadth in 
tliei,lane<,ftluO.,)dy barb. In other 
words, tliis head has not reached the 
last stage in the development of the 
toggle head. The line is of stout 
1 about Si feet long. It is passed 




""-■"'""'"■I WIIAI.E HAIM'OONS. 237 

through the lint' hole, (Idiihlcd iu flic iiiiddl.', the two pnits ;iiv linrilv 
stopi)ecl together with sinew in lour Jibires, ;nid in (he ends me eiit l.iu" 
slits for looping on tlietioats. When Ihe head is lifted on the I'oresji iH 
the line is secured to the tlat laec of Ihc roieshalt by a. Ill tie stoii aeide 

of a single strand of sinew, easily laoken. About, L'S ineiies fr tlie 

tip of the shaft the line is doubled t,,iwanl and the bight slopped to 

the shaft witli six lurus ol seal thong, so that 

the line is held iu jdace and yet can lie easilv de- /^^ 

tached by a straight pull. Tlie ends arc then '^ V',^ 

doubled back over the lashing and sfojijied to / 

the shaft with a single thread of sinew. 

Fig. 231 is a toy model of the whale harpoon, 
No. 3(;o«2 [233], ISi inches long, made of pine 
and ivory, and shows the nranner of attaching P' 
the floats, which are little blocks of sprace -"^ •.^■-sf 

roughly whittled int.. tli<- shajie of inflated seal- ^' * '^ ' ' 
skins. A piece of seal thong i;;.i, inches long f ' r 

has its ends looped round the neck olllie floats 
and the harpoon -line is looped into a slit in the 
middle of this line. ,. ,„. , , , , 

I'll; L'.i2.— I'liiit lilaile fur whiilt' 

WecoUected thirteen heads for such harpoons, i,;,ri,,„.„. 

which have been in actual use, of whiili two have tlint blades like the 
one described, two ha\e bra>s lilades. and the rest either blades of slate 
or else no blaiies. 'flic tlint blades are either friangidar like the one 
described or lanceolate and arealxmt ;; iiickes long exclusive of the tang. 
The three separat.' tlinl blades which ue obtaine<l (Fig. l';;2. No. oflTOS 
|114]. from r'tkiavwlh. is one ..f these, made of black flint i an- about I 
•and wen> p.-rhaps int.ai<led for walrus har- 

^ ''"*■'"' 'I newly made tbr the niark<'t. 

blad.'sof whi.-h we collected eleven, some 
d and som.' ncu. bcsid.vs th,,se in the heads, are all 
triangular, with cnrvcd edges, as in Fig.!';'..'! (No. .".t ;?()!• 
om rtkia\ wifi, mad<'of soft ]mrple slate). ex<'ept 
le new on.-. N... r.imla |IS,S„]. u hich has the c,,riu'rs 
lt..n' so as t.. gi\.' it a rh.iinboidal shapi'. The cor 
I'-io "3:i _.si,a,. i.la.l.- '"■'■'■^ •"■'' ■•^"iii''liiii''^ rounded ofl's.i that they ar.> nearly 
f...-wl'ial.3'imnn...n. heart shajic.l. 'fh.'v.'blaih's an- usually about L'^J-in.'hes 
long and 2 broad ; tw.i nnusnally hug.' on.'s are .'. inches l.mg and nearly 

2J broad,an(l. small .m.- L'- 1 b\ l-tl in.'h.'s. an.l aiv simpl\ we.lged into 

the blade slit w ith.mt a rivet, 'f h.' b|-a>s bla.les ar.- ..f th.' sann- shap.'. 
Tliecouuu..n material tbr th.' b.Mly s.-cnis f,, hav.' b.^ai rath.-r carse 

iv..ry bodi.'s. and th.'s,. are b.ali ..f th.' new.-r brass-bla.h'.l palt.-rn. The 
b.i.ly is very l.mgaml sh-nder, being usually ali.mt S .,i- SJ, ini'hes huig 
(one is !)i inches long) and n.it over \k inches broa.l at the widest part. 




>3s 



It is;.l\v; 
til.- liiu- 



liAIMJOW ESKIMO. 




ol)li(lucly at tlie liiise, and the part iu front of 
(cd to ii sort of shauk, as iu Fig. 234 (No. 
7 17 [1044]), a head with slate blade (brokeu) and 



])ouc bo.ly. Tin 

in whicli the (jhai 

middle tlie outer 

J this part 

f the shank arc 

lake this ])art i 



, icpresciits a very couunou form 
k is leiu-sid.'d, wliile back of the 
ace of the barb rises into a ridge, 
)f the body live-sided. The edges 
soiuetimes rounded off so as to 
lliptioal iu section, and all the 



ed-es of tin 
faeeof thel 



b<)dy except the keel, on the outer 
arb, aie frequently rounded ofi' as iu 
K Si)745 [1044], whieli has a slate blade 
the l)one body with a bit of old cloth 
n wedge. Fig. 2;W/;, No. 56602 [157], 
wiii, is a liead of the same shape, but 
lade and a body of ivory. This blade 

with deer hair, but the other brass- 
)on, No. 56601 [137], has a single rivet 



oni LTtk 
liasabra.' 
is w.'dged in 
bhidedharpcM 
ot' whalebone. 

The blade sUt, and (•onse(piently tl 
always iu the plane of 
tlie barb, wliich position. 



blade. 



b<. 



nielit 
oftiiii 



These b. 
incised li 
ill the di 
s,.iii..wh: 
L'.-.l. NO. 



ll.iipooii-hcads,,r Hii 
lie found ill the MilS(^ 
h.ralities. Aswcslm, 
have b,-eii found at t 
[.awiciice Ishui.l. and 
interesting, liowever.l 
cisely tile same tyjic li 
modern harpoons are 
used ill (he west. 
That th.' liiiec I,. 



\V^ 



I St stei 
evelop 




ill! a tang, the tip of tlie 
d with sinew braid, as in 
2.S], from Nuwtlk. This 
le as being tlie only one 
'iihlc point to the barb. 
eliiiies ornamented with 
itioiial patterns, as shown 
<. .V sliort incised mark 
an arrow , see alio ve. Fig. 
1 may liavr s,mie signiti 

(.11 several oIIIh. heads. 

< 1 uliar iiatteiii are to 

mil .•oll..cti,ii. IVoni oth. 
dd naturally expect, thev 
he hioiiu'de Islands. Si. 

I'luver i!ay. It is very 
"liiid a spe<-imeii of ],re 
oiii <; ivei, land, where th. 

ctiiig the hi'Ml with the float line is not always S( 



.^?^:>£ 



'^''"°''"- WHALK HAKPOOXS. 

long- ill proportion i- u pn ^nhd < n tl,, tu.. hhh,. Ki 
236, Xo. S1I7W [<>(<»] tlu onl\ >|m<imicii ..l.tun..! \ itli 
lineattaclicd. V[ii(((()lst ut w il 
nis-liide tlioug Jt((tloii^ i^ 1m-~'^k1 
tliroug-h the liiu lioh hkI <1.pii1)1((1 
in two equal p II ts \\]n(]\ nt /ihhIn 
stopped togetlic i with ^nit w 
2 inches fi-om tht In id Vnothd ;• 
pieceof similai thon^ Ihit.nuhis ^ 
long is also doubled into two < (|ii i| 
parts and the ( iid-, hiiiilx vphdd t„ %\ 
those of the slioit pi(.(( tliii IIk ^\ 
two ends of tb( lon^ pK (< 
and oneend of th( vhoi t ]»i( < i 
thiongh each slit Oik ot thi 
is then slit and tliion^hit im 
theotliereiid of iIk shoi t ]>i<(< nid 
Jit ot th. 



•J 3 9 
'.V Fig. 





I 111- loiin ot lousli lit I- \« 1 \ well adapti'd 
1 iiiishippin^of tin to^^l. li. 1(1. 

lit ui ot tJK looM sh 111 n iiiiely. tliat 
1 \ iol( lit 1 it4 1 il sti III! It iiiisnip-.w ilhout lu'eak- 

I lit (pitvtioii It OIK ( Ml < >.ts itMlt; why Mas 

< iinpi i\. nil lit tint !■- iim.1 on ill the other 

II-- ipi ill il t I tliiv DIM In ni\ iipiiiimi. the 

-on I II till- I- lilt siiiK 1-1(1 It r iiiiiiig thf fcirm 

I i,-,It lit 111 will. Il I- I Inst -ht.wii 1 t,r an an- 



It I- It) s i\ tilt iikmIi 

inttt III th It w I- tint 
i'nnsii:irt I pit^'iiMd Itii -apt I -titiKir 

'■'■■P ' 1 IliiWII f It t til It IIIloIU III 

il laiij II ut II i\ lit t 11 pit -t i\id III 



Ji ik li ii))oon IS the 
t tl toi til harpoons, 
i-(iii- It is a well 
1)1 tiiilt - )in]ileiiieiits, 
Kctioii v.Hh religious 



240 




liAKUOW ESKIMl 


'• 


rtakiii.u iu tlu' lil 


1 of use iu overyday 
i\\. Ill many ri'spccts 
■ III' the uativcs, is so 


)us observauoes, 


ceieiiiouies to be per- 



Inllll. '1 


lial 


Ilii.^ 


is 


1 hav a 


rca 


I> ^ 


IO\ 


I'dicsliart 


. \vl 


icll 


■ol 


i-nliatc'il. 


is : 


Isn 


Ik 


\Vii.\ I 




cvcl 


'P 


licularsl 


a,u( 


isn 


ll 1 


Wnllld ll. 


<1 


It 1 


lis 


(•est (lis \\ 


hcl 


lli( 


\ 1 


Tiiar 1 


lic\ 


con 


IC( 



Now. till 



oinu'd.and oilici liiinus of Ihe same nature as really to assiuue 
I (lisiinctly ivliuioiis cliaraclci-. Heuce, we should naturally 
• Micct (o lind ihc iniplciiicnis used in it more or less archaic in 

■ case ill rcijard to the toggle-head I think 
1 1 sciiiis to nie ecpnilly evident that this 

ins I lie loose slialt and t'oreshatt, undiffer- 

nt of tlic liarpoon was arrested at this par- 
I'asily dcteriniued. A natural supposition 
IS tlic form of harpoon used by their an- 
lirst licuaii to be successful whalemen. 

tlic idea of ,uo()(l liu-k with these ancient 
stone liar|iooiis is siiown by what occurred at Point Barrow iu 
iss.i. Of laic years they have obtained from the ships many 
onlliiaiy ■• wliale irons," and s(jme people at least had got into 
I he habit ol' iisin.u tiicm. 

Now, the bail liiek of the sea.s(m of 1882, when the boats of 
both villa.u'cs toj;ether cauiiht only one small whale, was attrib- 
uted to tlic use of these - irons." and it was decided by the (^Iders 
thai Uw Jirnt liai]ioon struck into the wlialc must be a st()ue- 
bladcd one such as tlieir forefatliers used when they killed many 
whales. 

In this connection, it is interesting to note a jiarallel custom 
observed at I'oint Hope. Hooper' says that at this place the 
beluga must always be struck witli ■.\j!i)it spear, even if it has 
been killed by a rifle shot. 

/,((/((■(. s.— As I have said on a preceding page, some of the na- 
fi\cs now use boiiili-guns for dispatching the liarpooned whale, 
and all the whaleboats are provided with steel wliale lances 
the ships. In former times they used a large and 
c with a broad Hint head. They seem to havecon- 
•e of this weapon, jirobably for the same reasons 
I to retain the ancient harpoon for whaling until 
I heir |ireseiit su]>ply of steel lances, as we found 

are found in (licenland and elsewhere. \Vc obtained nine 
heads for stone lances (kaliiwii:) and one complete lance, a very 
tine specimen ( Xo. .".(ITC.') |.V">7j. Fig. J38), which was brought 
down as a |ircseiit from Xuwilk. The broad, sharp head is of 

li.uht <;ray Hint, i iited on a shatt of siu'uce 11' feet G inches 

long. II has a broad, stout tang inserted in the cleft end of the 

iCirwiiilCi-purt. p. 41. 



obtained from 


powerful lanc( 


that led then 
they obtained 



MURDOCH.] 



■\VIIAT.E LAXPF,. 

Miiilal ill scciiou witli rounded 



2-n 



a 



shaft. The sliaft is rli 

tapers from a lucailtli of L' inches and a 

thickness of 1 at tlie tip tn a Imtt ot'()-7 inch 

broad and 1 tliick. The ti]. of tlie sliaft has .' 

"kaclded" down on l)oIh ed-cs, oin^ end of *'" / 
the twiue on each ed-e, so tliat the iiitcli I 
made by one end crosses the round turn of f 
the other, nnikin.i;- in all twenty six turns. ^'- / 
The shaft has been painte.l red h.r IJ, inches h'^J 
below the whippin-. f \ \. 

Xo. S'Xm I I«;!lJl is the head and :. in.dies V 
of the sliaft of a similar lance. The head is {. 
of black Hint, and the sin.'w l)raid lornis a 
simple whippin-. The remainin- heads are ' 
all unmounted. I have li,-ured several of 
them to show the variations of this now |_ 

obsolete weapon. Fi-. U;!!), No. ."".(itiTT [4111, ^Z 

from rikiavwin. is of ;;ray tlint (diijijied in f < i 

larfi-e Hak.'s. The total len-th is (i-!t inches. 
The small lii.i^s on the ed-es of the tan-- are 
to lu'cp it fromslippin.iiontof the whijipiiii;-. 
No. r>r,r,l'.) |L';1!I|, also from I'tkiax win, is ol 
black tlint and broader than the preceding 
Its l(n,tli IS (, ; in<h(s No .(.(.Ml I ,'M| 
om lh( Sinn \i]li.,i. is ol li^ht 



:J 




thnt ,iud \(i\ bio id It 




i>42 THK I'OINT UAKKOW IISKIMO. 

h.-a,l ..f bla.k II. MI, •; iM.lu's Uma. FifJ. 2i0«, No. S«.5!)7 [WM], from 
Nuwfik. is (.!■ black Hint, and unusually long in ]m)|Mirti<iii, numing into 
the tang with Uss shouhU-r than usual. Jluch of the original 
^ surfaci' Ts left untouched on one face. This is probably very old. 
No i<'.)~)i\S ( 1 ;i(!l ] is a head oi similar shape of dark gray flint from 
Sidani. It is (i inches long. Fig. 2406, No. 89599 [1373], from 
ihc same ]iiacc and of similar material, is shaped very like the 
h,.a.l of a sl.'.l lan.c. It is 5 inches long. Fig. 24()e, No. 89600 
11009], from I'tkiavwifi, is still broader in proporti(m and almost 
Iieart-slia)Mil. It is of bluish gray flint and 4-8 inches long. 
Tiicsc heads ]Miil)ably rejjresent most of the different forms in 
use. ()iil,\ two tyjies are to be recognized among them, the long- 
IK.inted oval wiili a short tang, and the broad leaf-shaped head 
with a rather long tang, which aiii)ears to be the commoner form. 
We obtained one newly made lance of a pattern similar to the 
above, but smaller, which was said to be a model 
of tlie weajion used in attacking the polar bear 
belbie the introdnctiou of tirearms. The name, 
liiV'nuii. is curiously like the name panna given 
bv l»r. Simiison and ("aiit. I'arry to the laiue 
doublecdged knife. The specimen. No. S'.is'.t". 
[ iL'.iO], Fig. 1.'41, came from UtkiavwiQ. It ha> .i 
head of gray liint 3J inches hmg, exclusive o1 
tang, roughly convex on one face, but flat 
merely beveled at the edges on the other. The 
edges are finely serrate. The shaft is of spruce, 
(i feet S inches long, rounded and somewhat flat- 
tened at the tip, which is 1 im-h wide and taper- fio, 242.-Fimt 
ing to adiameterof 0-7 at the butt, and is i.ainted lu™! f„r i,™r kme. 
led with ocher. The tip has a slight shoulder to keep the whip- 
j.ing ill place. The tang is wedged in with bits of leather and 
scciucd by a close whipping of sinew braid IJ inches deep. Fig. 
-'42,No. .S'.ICII I HK'.t], tVoiH Nuwuk. was prol)al)ly the head of such 
a lance, although it is somewhat narrower and slightly shorter. 
Its total length is .Vt inches. The other two large lance-heads. 
No. .j(i70S,( |lll((| and No. r>inOSh [114/;], are both new, but were 
j.robably meant for the bear lance. They are of gray flint, 3J 
inches lonu. and lia\c the edges regidarly si'rrate. 

head, and a li,;;lit wooden shatt about feet long. It is used in 

_tlie kaiak for stabbing deer swimming in the water, after the 

manner frc(p[enlly noticed anumg other Eskimo.' A pair of 

these spears is carried in beckets on the forward deck of the 

On approaching a deer one of them is slipped out of the 

t and laid on the <leck, with tlu; butt resting on the combing of 

f, 2il Viiy., p. 512 (riiliilik); Kuiiilicn, Conlrilmtions, p. 54 (Cumberland Gulf) i Schwatka, 
vol. i. No. !IU. p. 544 (Kiug Williani.H Land). 




UEEK LANCK. 



2-1:5 



tlK- cockpit. '1 



ic liuiitcr then paddles nii.idly up aloiif^sidc ..f llic, deer, 

.111(1 stalls the animal with a ((iiick downward tlmisl' 
This sjiear is called ka'imn. which in the i>,,int itarrow 
dialect exactly coiTesjionds to the < licenlandic woid 
ka|.iit. which is ajiplied to the loii-.hlad.'d spear oi' Inn-- 
knife used tor disiiatchin- a ha 



(Is, 



r-ed) 



No. 7;u,s;{ [,-,-4J, Fiiis.2i:u,,2i:\h (head 
[serve as a type of tlii.s weapon, of wliic 

■ciniens. All that we saw weie essentially like 
Thelieadisiron, 4^3i,„.l„.s Ion- exclusive of the 
and lA inches broad. The ed-es are narrowly he- 
on botli faces. The shaft is C feet L' inches' 
hmg, and ta[)ers from a diameter of (l-S uk h 
about the middle to about one half inch at 
each end. The tip is cleft to receive the tanu 
of the bead, and .shouldered to keep tlie wliijt 
ping- from slip])ing off. The latter was ,,t 
sinew braid and _' inches deep. The shall is 
painted with red ocher. 

The other ha.s a shaft C feet 4 inches lonu, 
but otherwise resembles the precedini;. 'I he 
heads for these lances are not always made ol 
iron. ('o]ii>ei-, brass, etc., are sometimes used. 
No.oCdit'.lfKKIJ isoneofai.airofneatlymade 
copper laiu-c heads. It is .V.i implies hm,-- and 
U wide, and .uround down on each f ice to a 
■sharp ed.ue without a bevel, except Just at the 



point, iietbre the introduction of iron these ^ 

lances had stone head.s, but were otherwise rm.-ni- 

of the same shape. Fifi. 2-t-t represents the ^,'',','i!,'''„''i',i,' 

head and (J inches of the shaft of (me of these lUntiHa.r 

(No. .SOilOO [ll.-,7| from Nuwfik). The shaft is new and 

rather carelessly made of a rou-h, knotty |iieci. ot 

spruce, and is ."> feet ."i'l inches Ion--. The head is ol 

black flint and L' inches lonj;-, exclusive of the taii.i;, and 

the tip of the shatt is whipped with a narrow stri]. ot 

light-colored whalebone, the end of which is secured by 

passiu},'- it through a slit in the side of the shatt and 

wedgiujj it into a crack on the opposite side. This 

is an old head newly mounted for the market, and 

Fui. i43.—i)..LT lance, the head is wedged in with a bit of blue tlannel. 

No. 898!)7 [13:i4], Fig. 245, from Utkiavwiu, on the other hand, is an 

ohl sliaft r. feet 7.^ inches long, litted with a new head, which is very 

broad, and shaped like the head of a bear lauce. It is of variegated 

I Crantz, vol. 1, p. 147, PI. v, Fig. 5i and ] 



t (Jrinnell Exp., p. 479 (tig. at bottom). 



•244 
Jaspor. 



Tin: I'oi: 

brown and ixr.iv. anil 1 
Il„. .-l.-ri ..fth.'sliaft 



;akk<)W eskim( 



pcd over 



Tlicyaroscciuvd 
s shaft, wliich is 
p;ii,'ih7l"nVl. cvi/lriith lia.l a broad head Connelly, as it is 
(■\pandrd al llir lip. No.sh.S'.m; [ i;ii'4J is the mate to tliis, evi- 
denil\ made lo nialrli it. NN'e also obtained one otlier flint- 
1„..„|.'.,| hnire. Tlie mate to No. SiMlOO [1157], No. 80898 [11.57], 
has a liea.l of dark -lay slate L'-:! inelies Ion- This spear ap- 
l„.ar> lo hexNholh old. ex.i'i.l the wliiiipin- of sinew braid. 
The Shalt is of sp.iK'e. .-. t.'et 1 J in. 'lies Ion-, and |,ainte(l red 
wilho.-her. \V..alsoeolleeted I h ive slone In'ads tor such laiiees. 
Fi". L'li;. No. .-ISTII |ltS|. iKiHi llkiavwln. shows the sha]>e of 
the tan- It is of -ray Hint, and ;;-7 in.-hes h,n-. No. S'.MIIO 
|ll.-,l|i'sal.eanfiful lane,' h.'ad of polisii.'d ,dive -reeii Jade, -l-S 
inehes Ion-. Th<' hide in the Ian- is probably not intended 
for a rivet, as noiii' of the lanee heads winch we f~r";^.-> 
II is 
orated Ibrattaehin- it to the belt '^%, 
We w. ■retold that this lanee iH.ad ^^ 
^ lar-e slate latf.' ^ 
fonndby Nordeiiskidld' in tlnudd ■■( )nkilon" BfJ-N.^t*!- 
.ameshapi- \t^ , jt 



lehed to a strin- about o(l inehes loii"', the 

)-ether to a tnft of feathers, whieh 

lie and perhaps directs the tll.uht of the missile. 

shortened lip. as in Fi- l.'47, 

1-, by tyiii- them into slip knots, as lollows: All 

i-hteiied out and laid ], 

ither, they are .hmldi'd in a hi-ht, with tlie end under the 

stamlin- oart. the bi,-lit of the end jiassed thr,m,i;h the preced- 

, and so on, tisiially tive or 

till the strin-s are siifiiciently shortened.' A pidl 

(Is slips all tlii^s,' km>ts and' the .strin-s eoiiie out 




;■ round the 

\iii,- se\ eral sets. When a tloek 

lie is grasped iu tlie right 



Iiaii(l,tl,(. balls ,„ tl„. I,.|t, ,.11,1 ri,.- sfini... 
quick iMill. Li-ttin^ o,, „|f|, j,,, ,,,,, |^ ^^ ~ 
the head au.l h t fh ,it thr i,,,ssini. fj,„ i ' r 
balls spread ,i]Mit m Hmhu tln.Mi..| 

1-/ s.. .,sto.,n,., .„ns„l,.,al,|, s, 
^ Ilk.. 




tncssaid t 

MlJticu-lit f(,; 

1)1 (Mk 

peiicd to sc(. aii\ tak 

the -K-a.N |ust d) s, iihcd. V ',\,ul 

is occasioiiall.N h'tf with siiilKiciit 

ft'eedoiii (it Tridfiiiii to cs. ipc with 

the bolas haii-nm 1o liini. The / "w 1 

weapon is ctte. tiN c up t.. .Ul ,,i 4<» ( 'I 4 

yards, but the natives „ttvu thiow }11. '^ 

it to aloiijrer distance, tre.pienth 

niissino- their aim. I( is nun,.] 

win. have n., unns. and a -<n„] """ '''T,!,'"'!,!"'!," "''''"' 

many dneks are eapunvd uith it. In tin- spun.. w|„.|i the 
'lueks are tlyin,:;. the wona-u and ehdd.eu hanlh ever stir 
out, ot the honse without one or more of these. 

We l)roujiht liome ,,iie speemieu of this iini.lenn'id (kelini- 
tau'lin), N„. 7.-.ll(;!l flTli;;]. Fjo, 04,s, whi<-h is new an.l has the 
••alls ^rather earelessly n,ad... Th,. I,alls. whieh an, six in 

l-;: wide: they aie nsually all of the sann-' shape). Thmi'i..h 
••nd is drilled a small la.le. the en. Is .,r u hirl, .n,. 



the 



.•a.h. 'i'h.T.' 
lialls..l.aihl.M 
al..mll'sin..h 



■strin.i;,.rsin..wl,rai<[ f.. ea.-h s.'t .,f I w ., 

■ini.l.ll.'s,, that all six parts ar.MMpial an.l 

nil's in..h..sh,n-. Th..y are fasfn-Ml t.. th... Ieath..r hamll.. 

1^ asfoHows: Niin. win- f.-ath.Ms of (In. ..i.l.T din-k ar.. lai.l si. I.. 

F:a.2,H.-mJ'y "'''•'' '"'" ^" I'"'"'' ^""l '•""I'l^-'l "' t'"' "'i.l.lle s., that ,h.. 

Mus, m»i.v qiullsand vau<.s stand up on all sid..s. 'fh.. nn'.l.ll.. ..f ..ai'li 

'•■■— sti-in- is lai.l a.'r.vss th.. hi.nht of th.. Iea(h..rs. s., that I h.. .six 

parts .•..ni.. ..nt ..n all smI.-s l...tw....n the feath..rs. Th.. lalt.'r an- th..|i 

lashed tiylitly t..-..th..r with a bit ..f sinew braid, by j.assin- th.. ..n.l 

over the bend of the feathers an.l tying with the rest ..f the string r..nn.l 

the feathers. 



-k; 



INT IJAKlv'OW ESKIMO. 



Tlu's,. weapons 
hilt vary soiacwl 
soniftiiiu's siiiiiil; 



' f;c'iici:ill\ \riy iiincli like tlic spcciiiieii descrilted, 
ill tlic sliapc ami material of tln'^ halls, wlii<-li are 
oiil or siiherieal, and often made of sinjile teetli of 
if Insk ivory. I'.one is also sometimes used. In 
former times, the astragalus hones of the reind.^er, perforated throujAli 
the ri.lKeon one en.l were use.l for halls. No. S'.I4!(() [l:!4li], is ii pair of 
such hones tied tofidhei- witli a hit of t lion.i;', which apjiearto have been 
acluallv used. >'o. S'.».',,',T |1-;')I! from Itkiavwin is a very old ball, 
which is sMiall 1 1-1 inches lon.u) and unusually Hat. It ai)pears to have 

I n kept as a relic. 

There is very lit ill' infornmtion to he found c<iin'crniiij;- the exteut of 
the reuion in wliii'h tliis implc nl is used, eitlna' in the Museum col- 
lections or in the writin.ys of antlnus. A few points, however, have 
heen ina<le out with cerlainty. The holas are unknown among all the 

Kskinio east of the .Vndcison Kiver, ami II nly evidence that we 

have of their use at Ihis point is an eiilrv' in the Museum catalogue, to 
which 1 havel.ccn nnahic to find a corresponding specimen. Deaseand 
Sim]is(m. in IS.!?, did not ohscrxc them till they reached Point Barrow." 
•fhcy were lirst noticed hy Cecchey at Kotzebm^ Sound in 1S2G.2 Mr. 
Nc'Ndifs collcclions show that they are used from Point Barrow along 
Ihc Alaskan coast, at least as far s.mth as tlu' Yukon delta, and on St. 
I.awrenc'c Island, while for their use on the coast of Siberia, as far as 
Cajx' North, we have the authority of Norch'nski.ild,' and the Ivi'ause 
Krothers.' 

IltNTIN(i niI'LEMKNTS OTHER THAN WEAPONS. 



// (/ -llii\ ill. id\ s], I (11 ol tii( tloits ( ip>tu 1 i)nn) ot mtlated 
d I I I HI (i|luiin_ th whil imlwdius \\ (. obt inu d one 
< 1 1 N ^ I s| I 1^ n lliM^fh. ^\lioh skin, (\cii)t the 




head, of a male rough se; 
<-ass was carefully remov 
the neck and a few inch. 

' T. Siiiipsoii'u Narrative!, p. \r>it. 
'Vi.yujr,., ,,. 574. 

nvpi. vol. 2. p. 1.19. ami Ki-. :i, ,, 
•Gcugniiiliiwlio liliitlir, vi.r r.. pi 



Fin. 249. -Seal akin (ioat. 

I ( Phoca hetida), with the hair out. The car- 
d without making any iiu'i.sion exeejit round 
; down the throat, and skinned to the very 



Arctic Cruise of I ho ( 



MtjRDocH.] FLOATS TOdfJl.ES. 947 

toes, leaviuy the claws on. All iiutnral or afcidoiital apeit iiirs aiv .'are 
fully sewed up, except the genital opening, into which isinscilcd a ring 
of ivory, which serves as a mouthpiece for inflating tli(^ skin and is 
corked with a plug of wood. The cut in the throat is caiclully sewed 
up, and the neck puckeicd togctlier, aiul uiapiicd witli seal liiong into 
a slender shank al>ont 1 inrii long, leaving aliaiiotskin which is wiaiiiicd 
round a rod of l.oiie 1 inciics long an<l I in diameter, set across the 
shank, and wound with thong. This nuikes a iiandletor loojiingon (he 
harpoon line. 

All the floats used at i'oiiit I'.aridw are of the same general i)attern 
as this, and are geneiaiiy made of tlM> skin of the rough seal 
though skins of tlie harlior seal ( T. vilniina) are sometimes used. 
One of these floats is attached to tlie walins harjioon, l>nt two are used 
in whaling.' Five or si^ floats are carried in each boat, and are inflated 
before starting out. I liaxc seen them nsed for seats during a halt on 
the ice, when the boat was being taken out to the -lead." The use of 
these large floats is not i.e( iiliar to Point Harrow. They are employed 
by all Eskimo who luirsue the larger marine mamnials. 

Flipper toggles.— Wo collected two i)airs of iieeuUar imi.lemcnts, in 
the shape of ivory whales about o inches long, with a perforation in the 
belly through which a large thong could be attaclied. We undeistood 
that they were to be fastened to the ends of a stout thong and used 
when a wliale was kiUed to toggle his flijii.ers togetlier s.. as to keep 
them in i.lacc wliile towing him to the ice, by laitting holes in th<' flip- 
pers and passing the ivory through. We unfortunately never had an 
opportunity of verifying this story. Neither jiair is new. Fig. lioOa 
represents a pair of these im])lements (ka'gotin) (Xo. niir.so |L'-;7]). 
They are of white walrus ivory. In tlie middle of each belly is exca- 
vated a deep, oblong cavity about three fourths of an inch long and one- 
half wide, acros-; the middle of which is a stout transverse bar for the 
attachment of the line. Oiu' is a -bow head" whale (Bahcna mys- 
ticetus), 4i inches long, and the othci- evidently intended for a "Cali- 
fornia gray" (Khachinectes glamais). it has light blue ghiss beads 
inserted for eyes and is the same length as the other. 

Fig.250(No.56r.flS[407|) is a similar pair, which are both "bowheads" 
nearly 5 inches long. I'.oth have cylindrical jilugs of ivory inserted for 
eyes, and are iiuide of a piece of ivory so old that the surface is a light 
chocolate color. The name, kagotin, means literally "a pair of toggles." 

HarpiKtH hii.trs ( ii'dhni or n'hliui, litcrdlli/ "<( iiesf.''') — The slati^ har])oon 
blades already described wen^ very apt to be lost, or broken, so they 
always carried in the boat a sMp].ly of spare Idadcs. These were kept 
in a small box carved out of a block of soft wood, in the shape of the 
animal to be pursued. 

' I le.im from our old int*?rprct('r, Capt. K. P. Herendeen, who has spent three years in whaliii;^ at 
Point Harrow since the retnni of the e,xi)iMliti(in, that a third float is also used. It is atlaehed by a 
lonsiM- linn than the others, and serves aa a s<irt of •■ telltale," eouiiui; to the surfaee some lime alieiid 
of the whale. 



liAiniOW ESKIMO. 



Vh^. 2.".h 



• •III : 


IIkI 111 


lull w.Mllicr. 


li;ni 
in.li< 


. Til. 
■i.u- I- 
•atcil 1 


,'U iiiimkI.mI ' 
liy a siiiiplr i 


irtt. 


Two 


iilll.' l.iisol 


Til.- 


bcllv 


is ilat ami .■ 


has.. 


jiisl 


lorwanl cf 
% 



niir of tlicsc boxes (Xo. 56505 [138]) intended 

whalf hariiooii. This is rather neatly carved 
ioli wool, apparently spruce, though it is very 
I. ill till' shape of a " bowhead" whale, 9 J inches 

lliikis air broken short oif, and show traces of 
ith wooiliMi ]i('gs or dowels. The riglit eye is 
lisioii, but a tiny bit of crj^stal is inlaid for the 

rystal art' also inlaid in the middle of the back. 
cavati'il into a deep triaiigiilar cavity, with its 

he angle of the moutli ami tlic ajiex at the 




25U.— i liiiijtr toggles. 



"small." It is b( 
apex, and is (•o\i 
tlic under fare to tit f 



led round the edge, with a shoulder at the base and 
il with a. Hat triaugiilar piece, of wood beveled on 
Igc of tli(^ cavity. About half of one side 
t olf ami mended on with two " stitches" of 
I'l- is In Id on by three strings of seal thong 
carli roiiicr of the cover and secured bv a 



MiRDocH.) HARroiiN lioXKS. 

knot in tlic cml of each stiiii.i;-. Tlicyllu'ii pass tlironuli iliir 
spouding holes in the, bottom ol'tlie cavity, IcaNin;;- outside, of I 
two euds 7 inches and one 1"> loui;', wliich are tied to^cilicr. Tl 
can be lifted wholly off and then drawn bark into iis place hy 
the stiiui;-. 



21!) 




We collected seven such whal.'-harp boxes, usually about !1 to it} 

clies long. Nearly all have bits of crystal, aiiibcr. oi' pyritc, inlaid 
r the eyes ami in the middle .,f the back, and the cover is generally 
ggvd in the way described. Xo. -.(mIIi.' [1'IS|. from I'tkiavwin. is a 



2r)0 THK POINT IIAIMMW KSKIMO. 

lars"' whale, :i foot loiii;. and lias tlu- tail bunt up, wiiilc tin- aniinal is 
usiuilly lepiesciitfd as if lying- still. It has good-sized sky-blue beads 
inlaid for the eyes. 

Fig. l'.")Ii (No. .S!"T-^! [IKH], from Xnwfik) represents a small box 4J 
inciu'S long, protiably older than the otln is, and tlie only one not carved 
Into the .shape of a whale. It is nmgldy egg-sha))ed and has no wooden 
cover to the cavity, which i.s covered with a i)iece of di^erskin, held on 
by a string of seal thoug wi-ajiped three times around the body in a 
i-ough, deep groove, with the end tucked under.. In this box are five 
shite blades for the uiiah' liarpoon. 

\\'<i also collected two Ixixes for walrus lLar])oons made in the shape 
ofthe walrus, witii ivory or Ix.n.' tusks. Xo.SDT.iL' [S(i(»J, Fig. 251c, from 
Nuwidi, is old, and 7 inches long, and has two oval bits of ivory, with 
holes bored to represent the pupils, inlaid for the eyes. There is no 
cover, but the cavity is filled witli a nunil)er of slate blades, carefully 
packed in whalebone shavings. Tiiere is a little eyebolt of ivory at 
eacli end ofthe cavity. One end of a bit of sinew braid is tied to the 
anterior of tlu'se, and the other carried down through the hinder one, 
and then l>rought up and fastened round the body with a marling hitch. 
Tiie otlier (No. .">(!4.S!t [li^T], is new and rather roughly made, 5 inches 
long and painted all over with red oeher. It has a cover, but no strings. 

Xo. uCjOI [142], F^ig. 2.J1(7, fnuu Utkiavwiii, is for carrying harpoon 
blades for the chase of the bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and is 
neatly carved into the shape of that animal. It is 7*4 inches long and 
has ivory eyes like the walrus box, No. 89732 [860]. The cover is fitted 
to the cavity like those of the whale boxes, but is held on by one string 
oidy, a piece of seal thong about 3 feet long passing through the mid- 
dle of the cover and out at a hole on the left side, about one-fourth inch 
from the cavity. The box is filled with raveled roi)e-yarus. Fig. 251e 
(No. S!t7.S() [981], from Utkiav-n'ih) is like this, but very large, 9-3 inches 
long. The cover is thick and a little larger than the cavity, beveled 
on the upper face and notched on each side to receive the string, which 
is a bit of sinew luaid fastened to two little ivory hooks, cue on each 
sideof the body, it is fastened to the right hook, carried aero.ss and 
iiooked around the left hand oiu% then carried over and hooked round 
the other, and secured by tucking a bight of the end under the last 
Iiart. The box contains several slate blades. We also collected one 
other large seal box (No. 89731 [859], from Nuwiik), very roughly 
carved, and 9-8 in(!lies long. The cover is fitted into the cavity and held 
on by a narrow strip of whaleljone running across in a transversegroove 
in the cover and through a hole in each side ofthe box. 

Nets (A-H'&m).— The. snialh-r seals aic cai.turrd in large-meshed nets of 
rawhide. We brought home one of these, No. .-.(;7.5G [109], Figs 252a- 
2.".2/^ (detail of mesh). This is a rectangular net, eighteen meshes long 
and twelve dee)), netted of fine seal thong with the ordinary netting knot. 
The length ofthe mesh is 14 inches. 



NET FOR SEAl 



251 



iSucli nets arc set uikI.t the ice ; 
shore by means of stakes in snninic 
the net luuler the ice two small ho 
of tlie net apart, andlyctwccii then 



wmtcr, or in sluial water aluiii,' 

In the ordinary inetlM«l of set I 

s are ent fhronoh (he ice the leu 

n the same straij^iit liiieiseiu a ti 




. 252.— Seal net. 



large enongli to permit a seal to he drawn uj) through it. A line with a 
plummet on tln^ end is let down through one of the small holes, and is 
liooked through the middle hole, with a long slender pole of willow, often 
made of several iiieees siilieed foucther. with a small wooden hook on the 



252 Tin; I'OINT liARKoW KSKIMO. 

fiul. The liiii' is Ihcii ilriaclicd from llic ]iluiiiiii('t luid fiistciipd to one 
ill)pci-.-.)nicriifllir iH-I. aii.l a srcoiid line is l.-l ,l,,\vii llinm-h tin- otiicr 
siiKill iHilcand Mia.lc last in the same way (o tlir otlirr iii)pr|- .-nrncr. 
I!y ia,llin-..n 11i.'M' linrs ih.-iu-t is dnnvn .lowii lhiou-1, tlic luiddh' and 

,., |,;,ul It lip a-aiii. Thr .•lid liii.'S aiv hut loosely made, fast to lumps 
otiiv. so that uli.-ii a seal strikes llie net iiotliiii- binders liis wrappin-- 
il eoiiiplelely around liiin in his strii-'.^les to eseape. When theliiiiiter, 
uho is iisiialh uali-hin-his net, thinks the seal is siittieienrly eutaugk'd 
1„. hauls hiiii'iip through the lar-.- iiole and sets the lu't a.-aili. 

1 had no opporliinil\ of oliser\ iii^ w li<4her any wei.nhts or pluiuuu'ts 
were used to keep down the low er ed.uc of t he net. These nets are llOW 
universally eiiiplo\ed. lint oiii^ iiati\ !■ spoke of a tiuus "long ago" when 
thia-e were no nets and they captilled seals with the. spear (u'ln;) alone. 
The net was iise<l in simI eateliin.u in I >r. Simpson's time, tliou-h lie 
makes hut a casual retereiiee to it,' and l!<>eehey found seal nets at, 
Kotzel.ue Sound ill ISL'tl.-' The m^t ;,> very -,aierall\ used for sealing 
aiMoiig the l-skiino of western Ameriea ami in Sil.eria. We observed 
seal nets .set with stakes aloni;- the shore of the saiidspit at Plover Bay, 
and Xordetiskiiild sjieaks of seal nets '-set in suiumer among the ground 
ices along the shore." ' and at open leads in the winter, but gives no 
description of the method of settin.^' these nets beyond mentioning the 
"loliu pole which was used in setting the net. '"'as none of his party 
(■\ei witnessed the seal tisheiy.'' I am infoi'iued by Mr. W. II. Dallthat 
the winter nets in Norton Sound are not set under the ice as at Point 
P.arrow. Init with stakes in shoal water wherever there are open holes 
In the ice. "Ice nets" are spoken of as in use for sealini;- iu (.Treenland, 

but I lia\e 1 n able to lind no description of them. As they are not 

spoken of b\ .'it her IC-edeor ('rant/. I am inclined to believe that they 
were intiodnced by the iMirojieans.'' Mr. L. M. Turner informs me that 
such Is the case at l'u;;a\a Pay ou the southern slun'e of Hudson 
Strait, where they use a \rv\ loin;- net set under the iei^ very much as 
at Point P.arrow. 1 can tind no mention of the use of seal nets ainoin;- 
any other of the .■astern Eskimo. 

It is well known that seals liav<- a great deal of curiosity, and are 
easHy alliacled by any unusual sounds, esp(>cially if they are gentle 
and Ion;; conlinned. It is ther.dore easy to entice them into the nets 
by makinji such noises, for instance, gentle whistling, rattling on the 
ice with the pick, and so forth. Two special imiilements are also used 
for this purpose. The first kind I have called: 



SEAL CALLS. 



253 



,Ver(?w//.v(aclri.o-antini.-Tliisiin,,l,.,,i,.nt(-..nsists,,rilnvr„ironrcrnv. 

momitc.l un tl„. ,.,h1 of a sli,„r w {,.,, |,aii.ll,., and is iisrd I,, inakc a 

yciitlc noise l.y sci-atrliiiij;- on tl,,' ice. It is a ro.iii iiuplfiucnl 

thoUKll 1 never liaiipcncil lo sec ir in usr. Wr ohlaincd six spccirncirs' 
of whk'.ll No. .'■)(;.-);-).'-) [il(»| Ki- L'.-.;;,,, is tl„. I ypc. If, is I lA inrh.'s l,,ii- 
T]ic rouM.l liandl.- isof as],. (]„. rlaws aiv lliose,,f the "hraidcd sraT 
s.'cnrcil l.y a lasl.in.- of siiirw luaid, will, lli.. vu<\ hnapdil down on tin' 

under Sid., to a littl.' Idnnt. ha,-kward-|,ointin- 1 k ol' ivory, set into 

the wood about i inch from tin- liasr of the arms. 

Fig. 2536 (No. 5G.V.7 [!».■■, I from I'tkiavwif,) is iij, inches Ion- and has 
four prongs. The haft is of si>ruee, and instead of an ivorv hook (here 
is a i-onml headed stud of the same material, wliirh is di'iven whollv 
through the wood, having the point •■nt off Hush with the nnoer sur- 



^^^^^^ 




face. It lias a lanyard of seal twine knotted into tin- hole in IIh' liaft. 

|:.1| have eaeii Ihiee elaws, an.l hafts of soft w 1, painted with red 

ochei-, Willi lanyards, and are resi.eetively Id-l and l()-7 inehes long. 
One has an ivory hook. 1ml tlie other in plaee of this has a small iron 
nail, and is oniainenled with a medinm-si/ed sky idue glass bead iidaid 
in the ba<-k. The other two are both new and small, being resju'ctively 
7-.'. and 7-(i imdies long. The halts are made of leindeer antler and 
have only two jnoiigs. No. S!)K;7 [1;;11.'| li-oni Ktkiavwin, has the halt 
notched on eaeli side, and has aa irreguhir stud of bone for securing 
the lashing. 

No. SDKIS [ i;;:.!). Fig. 2.".:!r, from Utkiavwifi, has no stud and the claws 
are simply held on by a slight lashing of twist, ■(! sinew.' Koth of these 
were made Ibi- the market, but nuiy be models of a tbrm once used. 
There are two ohl seal calls in the .Museum from near St. Mieliaels, 
made of a jiieee of icindeer antler, apparently the spreading blow 
luitler, in which the sharii points of the antler take the place of chiwvs. 



I liave 



Tlio ueat be 
end wrapped 



254 THE POINT UAKKOW ESKIMO. 

The use of this iiniileiiient. as shown by Mr. Nelson's collection, extends 
or extended fioni Point liairow to Norton Sound. He collected speci- 
mens from St. Lawrence Island and Cape Wankarem in Siberia. Nor- 
denskiold speaks of the use; of this implement at Pitlekaj and 
a specimen.' The other instrument appears to be less common, 
called it a seal rattle. 

iSial rattle— Wi: obtained only two six'cimens, No. 50533 [409], which 
seem to be a pair. Fig. 254 is one of tlicse. It is of cottonwood and 4 
iiurhes louf^r, rouf;ldy carved into the shape of a seal's head and painted 
red, with two small trans])arent blue glass beads inlaiil for the eyes. 
g co7isists of three or four tuins with the 
(1 them. The staple on which the ivory 
lants liang is of inm. This is believed to 
be a rattle to be shaken on the ice l)y a string 
tied to the becket for the purjiose of attracting 
seals to the ice net. It was brought in for sale 
at a time during our first year when we were 
very busy with zoological work, and as some- 
thing was said about "netyi" and "kubra" 
("seal" and "net") the collector concluded 
that they must be floats for seal nets, and they 
were accordingly catalogued as such and laid 
away. We never happened to see another 
speeinien, anil as these were sent home in 1882 
we learned no more of their history. The late 
Eniil liessels, however, on my return called 
ittention to the fact that in the museum at 
euhagen there is a single specimen very 
lar to these, which was said to have been 
1 in the manner (lescril>ed above. It came 
I soinewhi'rc^ in eastern America. There is 
Fill. i::i4._s«iiratii.'. ,,in,^ In. f„],j jin.^ j,i i\^q lUitish Museum from 

iiering Strait. The, National Museum contains several specimens col- 
lected by Mr. Nelson at Point Hope. It is very probable that this is 
the correct exi)lanation of the use of these objects, as it assigns a ftinc- 
li"|| '" 111!' i\(>ry pendants which would otherwise be useless. They 
have been .-ille.l "(l,,g bells,"l)ut the Eskimo, at Point Barrow, at least, 
are nut in the habit of marking their (h)gs in any way. 

watching for a seal at his breathing hole a 
, slender rod of ivory, which is held loosely in 
plaee by a cross ]iieee ,,r a bunch of feathers on the end. When the 
seal rises lie jmshes up this md, which is so light that ho does not no- 
tice it, and thus wains tli.' hunter wIk'ii to shoot or strike with Ms 
spear. .Most of (he .seal limiting was done at such a distance from the 




Dr. 



-/ nulirafo, 



-\Vb 



station that 1 



ly one 



>n when this implement was 



' Vosa, vol. 2, p, 117, Fig. 3. 



SEAL INDICATORS — STOOL. 



255 



seen in use. We collected two specinLMis, of ujij,], \,,. .-.c.-.o; [1041 
Fig. 255a, will serve as the type. It is .il' wnli us ivoi v, I ij, indies Ion'' 
ami 0-3 in diameter, with a small lanyard ol' sinew, 'i'hc nir\ cd cniss 
piece of ivory, IJ inches loiif^-, is inserted into ;, slo( one lourtii of m 

inch from the end and secured by a little treennil of w I 

Fig. 2556 (Ko. 804,^.4 [1114], from Xuwfik) is a similar indicator. i;U 
iaches long and flat (O-o inch wide and ill thick). The uniier end 
is carved into scallops for ornauieiit and has a small eve i,,t,, wi,i,.i. 



Fig. 25.i._SoaI iudiL-aturs. 

was knotted a hit ol whalebone fiber. The tip is l.e\eled oil uuh a 
conca\ e l)e\ cl on both faces to a sliarj) edge, so th.it it can be used lot 
a "feather settei " (tjiugwau) in featheiing arrows. Such iiiiplcmcnts 
are mentioned in most ])o])uhir accounts of the Eskimo of the east, 
and Capt. Parry descnbes it fioin jieisopal observation at lylidik.' I 
have been unable to liml ,iii\ mentioii of its u^' m uestein .Vnieiica, 
and have seen no --peeiinens m the \ati il 3Inseurn. 



Soil !)i!i stools.— \\\u-n a native is watch 

has to stand for 1 s mo 

tionlessoM the ice. His feet .--._ 

would be, oine e\.<-edinul\ 
cold, ill s 

leiice of his toot co\eiini;. 
were it not for a little thiee 
legged stool about H» mch.-s 
high upon which h.' staiuls. 
This sto.,1 is made nf woo<l, 
with a Iriangular lo]i just 
large enoii-h U> acomnio- 
d:i 



■ntlv 



ma 




consistent with strength. 
hunter, .slung on the gun 



heels together over one leg 

of the stool, and the otli.M- 

two legs sup|)orting the toes 

of .■aeh foot, ies|,ectively. 

The slool is neatly made, and is as light 

It is universally employed and carried b.\ 

cover with the legs projecting behind. 

When the hunter has a long time t<i wait he generally sipiats down 
so as almost to sit 011 his heels, holding his gun and spear in readiues.s, 
and wholly covered with one of the dciskin cloaks already described. 
They sometimes use this stool to sit on when waiting for ducks to liy 
over the ice in the spring. 



'Secoud Vuyage, p. 510; alao pi. oppoaitu p. 550, Fig. 17. 



._)r,,j Till'. I'OINT liAUKOW ESKIMO. 

\V,. l.nm-lit lioi.M' two siuTiincu.s ..f tlii^s cmunoM ..bject (nigawau- 
(.tiin. X<>. .S'.tSST |1U1|, Fij;-- -■"''N will serve as tlic type. The top 
is .if spruce, S^i iiiclies loiii; and 10^ wide. Tiie iipi)er siirfaee is flat 
and siiiodtli." tllr lowrr lir..:idly Leveled otf (.11 tlie^ edi;-es and deejdy 
i-xeaval.'d in llie nnddle. s,i lliat tlieiv are three stiai.ulit ridges joiii- 
iii-' the tliree leu>. earli of whicli stands ill the middle of a slight 
proliiilieiiee. Tlie nhjret of eiittilig away the wood ill this way is to 
make til.' sKiol h-liter. leaving it thick only at the jioiiits where the 
pressure coiucs. The lar-e round hole in the middh", near tiie front, is 
lor .•onveuieiice in pi.-kingit up and lianging it on tlie cacli.' frame, 
xvli.-ivil IS generally kept. The three legs are set into lioh'S at each 
coiner, spieadinu out so as to stand on a liase larger thau the top of 
the stooL Where the.\ lit into the holes they are 0-7 inch iu diameter, 
tapi'i-ed slii;hlly to lit thi' liole. and then ta|iering down to a diameter 
of one third inch al the tip. On the under side of the top they are 

edge of the lop haslieeii mended, as usual, with a stitch of whalebone. 

No. ,St)88S (lir-'l. rr<uu the sa village, is new and a little larger, 

but ditlers fi-om the type only in having a. triangular instead of a round 
hole iuthe toj) and no lashing. Those of our jiarty who landed at 
Sidarii September 7, ISSl. saw luie of these stools haii.giiig up in the 
then vacant village, and there is a i.recisely similar stool in the Mu- 
seiiiii from the .\udersoii region. 

iMacFarlaiic. in his luanuscript notes, descrilies the use of these stools 
us follows: ••llotli tribes kill seals nnih'r ice; that is, they watch for 
them at tlicir holes (breathing) or wherever open water appear.s. At 
the former tliey generally build a small snow house somewhat like a 
sentinel's box. (ill the bott(uii of wliieli they tix a iiortable three-eoriiered 

stool, made of w 1. They stand on this and thereby escape gettuig 

cohl feet, as woiihl be tlie case were llie\ to remain for any tJEie on ice 
or snow in the same iinmo\al)le posiliiui." Ileyoud this I tind no men- 
tion of the use of any siieli a utensil, east or west, exc-ept ill Greenland, 
where, however, they used a sort of one legged chair to sit on, as well 
as a footstool, which flgeile iiictiires ( I'l. '.») as oval, with very short legs.' 

Seal ilniiis ii(tsiii'lii'i.) — livery seal hunter carries with him a line for 

dragging ho his game, cousisting of a stout thong doubled in a bight 

about IS inches long, with an ivory handle or knob at the other end. 

The bight is ,cd inio ail incision in tlic seal's lower Jaw, while the 

knob .serves for attaching a longer line or the end of a dog's harness. 
The seal is dragged on his back and runs as smooildy as a sled. We 



ok (lilt fill- Hiili'-s, whicIi tliii Seals themselTCs i 



hole, he pierces it instuutly with his har- 



SEAL DRAGS. 'Jf)? 

coUected eight of these ,\r-Ag lines. fi„i„ wl,i,.|i i imve selecteil X.. r,r,t;-'i 
[U], Fig. 257rt, as the type. 
This consists of a stout tlumy ..f rawhide (the slcin of the bearded 




c d/ '^ e 

I'll. J'lT Sc.il drags and handles. 

seal) 0-3 iiieli wide and M iiiehes loug, aud doubled iu a bight so tliat 
cue end is about L'i inches tiie longer. These ends are fastened into a 
haudle of walrus ivory, consisting of three pieces, namely: a pair of 
9 ETH 17 



NT HAI 


;row esk 


IMO. 






tiv.'ly 1 


■Land 1-S 


inches 


long, put together 


s up: : 


mil ]\mg 


across 


1 the joint 


above, a 


y a..«li 


. A hoi.' 


lUllS 


through c; 


ich wrist 


seal. ■ 


ri,.. i,iitt.'i 


IS arc 


ornamciitc 


(1 on the 


1 .Mtn.r 


n.an.ltlie. 


seal h 


as bhu- gli 


iss beads 



258 11 IK vi> 

neatly carved mittens. rcs|)C( 

wrist to \n-ist with the pain 

littleseulHincheslong.be 

and tlirough th.> belly of th. 

back with a bhK'kcncd incise 

for eyes and blackencil incised spots on the back. The longer end of 

the thong runs u]! tlirongh tin' right mitten, across tlu'ough the seal, 

and down throui:h the l.tr mitten. It is then passed through a slit 1 

inch from the ciid of the shorter |iart and slit itself. Through this slit 

is iiassed the bight of the thong, all drawn up taut and seized with 

sinew braid. 

No. S04(>7 IT")")], from rrkiav win, is a similar drag, put together iu 
much the same way, but it has the mittens doweled together with two 
wooden pins, and a seal's head with round bits of wood inlaid for eyes, 
ears, and nostrils, in place of tlic seal. The longitudinal ])erforati()n in 
this head shows that it was <niginall\ strung lengthwise on one of these 
lines. The "doulilc slit splice" of llie two ends of the thong is worked 
into a complicated lonnd knot, between which and the handle the two 
paitsof the line arc conlini'd !>> a tube of ivory I inch long, oriumiented 
with deeply incised pai h i ii~. I'l.;. •-'•"m/' is the upper part of a line (No. 
.50021.' (30], fi'om l'tkia\ » in , nmiIi a similar tube IJ inches long, and a 
handle carvcil from a single pn'ic into a pair of mittens like the others. 



ll.also 



similar to the 



one tirst described, but has the seal b.'lly ui-. Kig. 2.-.7c (No. S947(> 
[i;i;i7|, from the same village) has a .seal I'-:! inches long for the handle, 
and >io..5(;OliO [■JV2\, from i:Ttkiavwli~i, is like it. No. SWOOrf [7.55«] Fig. 
257//, from Itkiavwii^, has for a handle the head of a bearded .seal 1-6 
inches long. ncatl.N caiveil bom walrus i\()ry, with round bits of wood 
inlaid for file eyes and cats. It is |)crforated longitudinally ft'om the 
chin to the back of the head, ami a large hole at the throat opens into 
this. The longer cm! of The fliong is i)assed in at the chin and out at 
the l)ack of the |]ca<l: the shorter, in at the back of the head and out at 
the throat; the two cmis brought together between the standing parts 
and all stopped together with sin.'W braid. 

No..'">ti027 [4.")), I"ig. 2.')7(, has a handle made of two ivory bear.s' heads, 
vciy neatly carved, with circular bits of wood inlaid for eyes, and per- 
forated like the seal's head just described. The thong is doubled in the 
middle and each end passed through one of the heads lengthwise, so as 
to pKitindc alioul 7 itiches. About 4 inches of end is then doubled 
o\ci. tluiisi ilirougli the throat hole of the oppo.site head, and brought 
down along the standing parts. All the parts are stopped together 
with sinew briiid. This makes a small becket above the handle. 

We I'ollecied seven knobs for these drag lines, of which six are seals' 
heads ami one a bear's. 4'hey are all made of walrus ivoi\y, apparently 
each a single tootii. and not a piece of tusk, and are about IJ inches to 
2 inches long. They are generally carved with considerable skill, and 



MURDOCH.) 



-KILLERS. 



often have the ears, vuuts 
mouth inci.sed and Itlackci 
wood are inhud for the eyi 
use among Eskimo gener; 



lie whi.skers, nostrils, and ou 

tinplenients ol' tliis .sort are 
wherever tliey arc so situat 
)llection con 



able to engage in seal-hunting. Mr. Nelson' 
mens from as far south as Cape Darby. 

Whalehiini' icolt'-l-iUeis (i.vhni). — Before the introduction 
trajis. which they now obtain by trade, these people used a i 
trivanee for catching the wolf. This consists uf a stout ro( 
bone about 1 foot long and one-half inch broad, with a sha 
each end. One of these was folded lenutliwise in the ( 
wrapped in blubber (whale's blubber was used, according to 
ant, Nikawaalu), and frozen solid. It was tlien thrown out ^ 
where the wolf «-ould tind and swallow it. The heat of the an 
would thaw out the blubber, releasing the whalebone, w 
straighten out and pierce the walls of the stoniaeli. thus ( 




1)111 


t at 
1 Z ' 


iiii; 


>rui 




now 


•s 1 


hmU- 


Ul 


i.uld 


llg 


the 



It go f;i 



iftcr 



animal's death. Nikawiialu says that a wolf wouhl 
swallowing one of the.se blabber balls. 

We collected four sets of these contrivances, one set containing seven 
rods and the others four caili. b'ig. -'>>^ii gixcs a good idea of the shape 
of one of these. It belongs to a set of seven. Xo. S9.").3S fl229|. Fig. 2.5Sft, 
from TTtkiavwin. wliich are old and show tlit^ marks of having been 
(h)ubled u|(. It is ll'i inches long, 0.4 broad, and O.li thick. The 
little notches on the o])|)osite edges of each end were probably to 
hold a lasliiug of sinew which kept the folded rod in shape while the 
bhddier was freezing, being cat by thrusting a, knife thi-ough the i)ar- 
tially frozen blubber, as is stated by Schwatka.- Two of the sets are 
new. but made like theutiieis. 

This contrivance is also used by the Kskiino of Hudson Bay' and at 
Norton Sound, where, according to retrotf.^ the rods are 2 feet long and 
wrapped in seal blubber. Tlie name isi'bru appears to be the same as 
the (Ireeiilandic (isa\'ssok), found only in th(^ diiuinutive isavssoraK, a 
provintiial name for the somewhat similar sharp-pointed stick baited 
with blubber and used for catching gulls. The diminutive form of this 

'U i.i twisted into 'u compact lu-lic:U ma.- 
Schwatlsa. "Nimrod in tlm North." p. 133. See ; 

"■'Nimrod in tlic Nortli." p. i:i3. 

"See Gilder, Schwatlia's Search, p. l'-,".: si-.^ also, KJutscliali, "Als Eslsij 
■whalebones are .said ti> liav.- little knives on the ends. 

•Heport, etc., p. 1U7. 



2g0 THE POINT HARROW ESKIMO. 

word ill CVicciiliiu.lic may iii«lii-at.- that their ancestors once used the 
Iir"f wolt'-kiUcr, when tlicy li\<'(l where wolves were found. The defi- 
nitr»n<.fuiu'kiiaK.theonlinaiyw..nUortliej>nll-cuteher{seebelow)— in 

tliedrouhiiidskeOnll.oi;— istl nly eviiU'iice we have of theuseof this 

cimtrivaiice in Creeiiiaiid. This is (iiie of the several cases iu which we 
oidv h-arn of tlie (Hcurrciice of ciistoiiis, etc., noted at Point Barrow, in 
Greenhind, hy liudiiii;- llie name of the tiling in (luestion defined in the 
dictionary. 

TrnpK.—Voxi'n are caught in the winter by deadfalls or steel traps 
(iiiinori'a). set generally along the beach, where the foxes are wander- 
ing about in searcli of carrion thrown up by the sea. In setting the 
deadfalls :\ little lioiise :d»iut - feet high is built, in which is placed 
the bait <ifm<at or lilublier. A lieavy log of driftwood is placed across 
the entrance, witii one enil. raised high enough to allow a fox to pass 
uniler it, and sn|(i)orted liy a regular "tignre of fonr" of sticks. The 
fox can not i;et at the bait without passing under the log, and iu doing 
HO lie must timrli t lie trigger of the "flgure of fonr" (4), which brings 
down tlie log :i(i()ss his back. When a steel trap is used it is not 
baited itself, bnt buried in the snow at the entrance of a similar little 
house, so lli;it tlie fox <an not reach the bait without stepping on the 
plate of the trap and thus springing it. Many foxes are taken with 
such traps in tlie course of the winter. 

Tile lioys use a sort of snare for catching setting birds. This is 
sinijily a strip of whalebone made into a slip-noose, which is set over 
the egus. with the end fastened to the ground, so that the bird is caught 
by the leu. ( )nee or twice, when there was a light snow on the beach, 
we saw a iiatiM' eatehing the large gulls as follows: He had a stick of 
hard wood, pointed at each end, to the middle of which was fastened 
one end of a stout string about 6 feet long. The other end was secured 
to a stake driven into the frozen gravel, and tlie stick wrapped with 
blubber and laid on the beach, \vitli the string carefully hidden in the 
snow. The gull came along, swallowed the lump of blubber, and as 
soon as he tried to Hy away the string made the sharp stick turn like a 
toggle across his gullet, the points forcing their way through, so that 
he w as held fast. A similar contrivance, but somewhat smaller and 
made of bone, is used at Norton Sound for catching gulls and murres, 
a number of them being attached to a trawl line and baited with fish. 
Mr. Nelson collected a large number of these.' In regard to the use of 
this contrivance in (iireiilaiid, see above under "wolf-killers." 

■Sii(i)r-(jo(iijlcs. — Tlie wooden goggles worn to protect the eyes from 
snow -blindness maybe considered as accessories to hunting, as they are 
worn chiefly by those engaged in hunting or fishing, especially when 
deer-hunting in the spring on the snow-covered tundra or when iu the 
whaleboats among the ice. They are simply a wooden cover for the 

■ these from Norton Sound, 



Mi-RDOcn 1 SN<J\V-GOG(.iLES. 

eyes, admitting tbf liglit by a nan-dw lioiizontiil slit, uhidi : 
only a small amount of light to reach the rye niHJ ;it ilic saim 
gives sufficient range of vision. Such goggles ;iic iiiii\-crs;ill\ cmi 
by the Eskimos everywhere' excejit in Siberia, where liiey use a 
shade for the eyes.-* 

We l)rought home Ibnr jiairs of thes(^ goggles (I'dyigun i. nf uli 
89894 [1708], Fig. 259, represents the comnidii toini. Tli.'se aic .. 
wood, 5-8 inches long and 1-1 inches broad, ami deeply e\.;i\ aied 
in.side, with a narrow horizontal slit with thin edges on eacii side 
middle. In the middle are two notches to fit the nose, the one 
lower edge deep and rounded, the upper very shaUow. The, tw( 
in each end are for strings of sinew braid to ])ass ronnd the head. 
are neatly made and the outside is scraped sniootli and sUom s tr; 
a coat of red ocher. 

The history of this particulai pan of goguh s is ]i( < nli nh mn n 
Though difteimg in no imjioitant ie'>i)e< t lioiii tl 
di\ tll(^ M< i< I id .in th< sit 



•J CI 



ployed 
simple 

l.'ll Xo 


.Millie 


of the 


in the 


) holes 


'fliey 


;u-.'s of 



^^ll. 1. n 1 


1 si ,,|..I1 St l.bulM.l 


at a .hi. 


III ..! J7 l<t t in undis- 


tnilM.l 11 


1)/. 11 giound, and weie 


uiu o\( 1(. 


1 111 digging the sli itt 


sunk b\ I 


aent. lJa\ loi ..bjaiinii. 


e.iith ten 


ilM'i.itnus ThekiN.i 




evidently an old sea Ix^ach, con 
sistingof sand and gravel niixe. 

with broken shells, a iig wlii 

amount of the siii)eriii.iimli.iii 
object does not necessaiil,\ iii.lii 
they were first buried, as w ill 1 
sai.'l al)..v.' (p. -'S) ab..iil lli.' 
gravel aiv piisli.Ml up by (lie i.-.' 
nearly a lo..! Iliiek. with wlii.li 
sh..ws that a .•onsi.lerable p.-ri.; 
reached nearly to its j.reseiit le 
The i)attern of these g.iggli-s 
at that early date this regi.ni w 
.litfei-eiit from its present inliab 
are almost always of the shap.' 
l)airnia(lein two pieces i..iiie.l 1 
They are, I think, universally i 



trum 
and > 



length .jf tin 
1.1 fv.>m what 



I have 

M-kS ..f 



.1 sin. 



; 1.1 my min.l a \'eiy deeide.l \>\i 

s inhabited by Eskim.. ii.it .■ss. 

lilts. Goggles w.irii at til.' ]ires. 
these, th<TOgh I remember se.'i 
short strings of beads aei.iss tl 

iiited with i-ed ocher .311 the .mts 



' See Parry, 2<l Voyage, 
Iiposite p. 14; Craiitz, Hist 
,Uo il.icFavlaiie, MS., X". ^ 
'Xor.lenskiold. Vi-s.-i, vi.I, 
*Keport U.S. lutoruatiou: 



p. 547, !■: 



. li>5, figure (Xo 



262 

i.Imi1.-i>iip(1 inside. 



Tlioy we 

K .olldt 



INT HAKKOW ESKIMO 

IV not alwiiys iiiinlc o 




-^■J 



\ 

\ K. JGO —Hum ^11 " - ' 

do not recollect ever seeing sosules <> 

8't7()? [711], Fm 2(»1. IS .luuiiuMia] \^. 

7ont,il 1)1 ini iboiit one half 

mill liijili, ^^llI(ll M'l\es toi 

an Klditioinl -li id< to tlie 

«.x,s \l)oM tln~< IK two 

ol)litii" lK)le> oi)( ninji into 

tliei.iMtv inside, wlniliaie 

pioltablvioi the pin pose of 

^entllltlon. to i)i( m nt tlie 

iiioi^tuu tioiMtlK sUin lioni 

bemu d. iMoil.d a-^tio^t on '<. 

till ni'-ideol tlie youules oi ^ 

on tliee\ela>.li(s I do not 

lenmiibei li.iMnn se( n sudi 

pouijles V oi n DalHij^uies ii^-^i 

aMiinl.ii pan fioiii Noi ton Sound, and tl 

rii-ava hav 



niiiilc of wood, as there are 
|ii( 1 1 III ml li I follow \\\\i, the 
II mil il ( ni\( ot the beam, 
di\id(d lon^itiidnialh, with 
lilt sotKi iiisuh ti-<siu liol- 
L.wtd out. 

i'i<i J(;o (No. S0701 [703J, 
lioni rtkiavwln) lepresents 

OIK ot th( M- spdlllKlls [ 

III ll< II ll 111 l( 111 ll l.M \o. 




<i^ 




hese 'Xo 


. S!).").!! 


|!)7,S| tV 


^•ahiis iv. 


ory. 11.1 


, inelies 



ise bioin>ht b\ Mi.Tuinei tiom 
tiuj; hulcs. The snow gOf>gles 
mentioned in Parry's Second 
Voyage (p. .547) as occasion- 
ally seen at Tj;hilik, lint more 
coiiiiiioii ill Hudson's Strait, 
appear to have resembled 
these, but had a brim 3 or 4 
inches deep. 

Meni - cfirhr mfirlrrs. — We 
niichasi'd a couple of little 
vory rods, .-aeli with a little 
mneh of feathers tied to one 
■ud, which w (■ were told were 
ised b\- the deer hunters to 
H^^ niark the jtlaee where they 
^ liad buried the Hesh of a deer 
ill the snow. This implement 
is called tu'kusia. 

Fig. 202, represents one f)f 
it is a flat, slender rod of white 
ntlv broken olf at the tip. The 



MURDOCH.] 



other oml 
pattern vi\ 



•lit iiitooniiiiiiciit; 

red witli red odiei 
figure of a reindeer on e;i.li t 
otlier. Tied by a bit ut sinew 
tliree wing tips (three or four i 



buff-breasted sandpiper (Tryngites subrufieollis). 



HUNTING. 


2G3 


notches, and ornamented wit 


hanin.i.scd 


<-onsistinj;- of eonventional li 


lies and tlie 


ce. a buek on one face and :i 


1, doe on the 


o tlie upperniosi notch aie, fo 


iir h'ius and 


Limaries, with the skin at tlie 


ba.se) of the 




longer wlien new and perhaps was originally used for a seal indicator 
(whicli see above). Fig. 2(!3 (No. 89453 [1581] from ITtkiavwffi) is a 
similar rod, the tip of which has been brought to an edge so that it can 
be used as a " feather-setter" in featheriug arrows. The remain.s of two 
wing tips of some small bird are tied to one of the notches at the upper 
end. 



Having now described in 
used in hunting, I am |)re|i 
metliods of pmsuing the dill 

Thf pohir /«7n-.— IJears ai 
the seal liiinters, roaming al 
shore. Tliey usually run fr 
even when wounded. Occa: 
hunger comes in from I lie ? 
storehouse of seal meat evci 
such a case lie. has very littl 
out with their ritles and cut 
this way at ntkiavwTn in tl 
attacked with tiie ritle, oftei 
The umiaks when walrus li 
the loose ice. If tlie b.-ar i 
ditlicully in iiaddling up do 

'/•/(,• „•<.(/:— The wolf can 
pursuit. Wolves are olteii 
in the winter, and one famil 
a couple of young wolf cut 
and the Oolville. The.s." tli. 
picketed on the tundra just 
of snow to shelter them, cai 
fur had grown long enough 



letail all tlic weapons and other implements 
ired to give an account of the time and 
er«'nt kinds of game. 

e occasionally met witli in the winter by 
out the ice fields at some distance from the 
nil a man and often do not make a stand 
lionally, however, a bear rendered bold by 
ca and makes an attack on some native's 

in the midst of the village. Of c(mr,se, in 
1' chance of cscaiie, as the natives all turn 
off his retreat. Two bears were killed in 
le winter of ISSU-'s.;. The bear is always 
I with the help of dogs to bring liim to bay. 
unting sometimes meet with bears among 
< caught in the water, there is very little 
■;c enough to him to slioot him. 

hardly be considcicd a reguhir object of 
seen and occasionally shot by ileer hunters 
V in the .summer of 1883 managed to catch 
s alive, somewhere between Point Barrow 
y brought home with them and kept them 
outside of the village, with a little kennel 
efully feeding them till winter, wlii'ii tiieir 
or use in trimming hoods. They were then 



264 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

killod with a sfoiu'liOiKlod arrow, which we were told was iipoessary 
for the purpose, and tiieir siviiis di-essed aud cut into strips wliich were 
sold around the vilhiji*'. Sii])ersriti(>n required tliat the man who killed 
these wolves should sleep outside of the house iu a tent or snow hut for 
"one moon" after kiJlin.ii' tlieni. We did uot learn the reason for this 
praeticH'. beyond that it would lie '-bad" to do otherwise. 

The fox. — Foxes are sonietiiaes shot, but are generally taken in the 
trai)s described above, wliicii are usually set some distance from the 
villajre so as to a\oid catching- prowling dogs. Though generally ex- 
ceedingly shy. tiic to\ is siinu'tinies rendered careless by hunger. One 
of the women at tlic decr-iiunters' camp in the spring of 1882 caught 
one in the little snow house built to store the meat aud killed him ^A^th 
a stick. 

The reindeer. — Keindeer are comparatively scarce within the radius 
of a (lay's march from Point Barrow, though solitary animals and small 
parties are to be seen almost any day in the wnter a few miles inland 
from the seacoast. In the autumn, which is the rutting season, they 
occasionally wander down to the lagoons back of the beach. Nearly 
every day in the autumn and winter, when the weather is uot stormy, 
one or more tuitives are out looking for reindeer, usually traveling on 
snowslioes aiul carrjing their rifles slung on their backs. The deer are 
generally very wild and often perceive a man aud begin to run at a dis- 
tance of a mile or two. tliough a ruttini; bu<k will sometimes fancy that 
a skill-clad Eskimo is a livai liuck. ;ind <'ome toward him, e.specially 
ii"fhe hunter crouches down aud keeps |»ifcctly still. 

The usual metiiod of hunting is to walk off inland until a deer is 
sighted, when the hunter moves directly towanl him at a rapid pace, 
without regard to tlie wiud or attempting to conceal himself, which 
w(»uld l)e almost luiijeless in such open country. As soon as the deer 
starts to run, tlie hunter (piickeus his pace — to a run, if he has "wiud" 
enough — and follows the game as long as he can keep it in sight, trust- 
ing that the well kuowu curiosity of the deer will induce it to " circle" 
round, in order to see what it is that is following him with such ]wrti- 
nacity. Shcmid the deer turn, as often happens, espe<nally if there is 
more than one of them, the huuter alters his course so as to head him 
ofi; and as soon as he gets within long rifle range opens fire, and keeps 
it up till the animal is hit or escapes out of range. Strange as it may 
seem, a number of deer are killed every winter in this way. 

If a deer be killed, the hunter usually "butchers" him on the spot, 
and brings in as much of the meat as he can carry on his back, leaving 
the rest, carefully covered with slabs of snow to protect it from the foxes, 
to bo brought in as soon as couvenieut by a dog sled, which follows the 
hunter's tracks to tiie place. 

Duiing the spring the deer retire some distance from the Point, and 
the docs then diop their fawns. At this seascm nearly all the natives 
are busily eugaged in the whale fishery, and pay Uttle attention to the 



ITCBDOCH.I HUNTING REINDEER. 2fi5 

reindeer, so that wedid not leani where tlicy wmi to. When the fawns 
are perhaps a month okl a small party, say a yonni; man and liis u ifc, 
sometimes makes a short journey to the eastward to iiKnuir tawii sldns 
for clothing. They say that the fiiwns at llds aj;c can he canuiif liy 
running them down. During the summci' aiiain the d<M r cumi- down 
to the coast in small numbers, takiug to tlic water in tlic lagoons, or 
even in the sea, when the flies become troublesome. 

Sometimes in warm, calm weather the flies are so nnmerons tliat 
the deer is driven perfectly frantic, and runs along without looking 
where he is going, so that, as the natives say. a hunter who places 
himself in the deer's path has no diflficulty in shooting him. Flies 
were unusually scarce both siunmers that we were at the station, so 
that we never had an oppoitxinity of seeing this doue. When a deer 
is seen swimming he is ])iirsued with the kaiak and lanced in the man- 
ner already descrilied. lu July, 188.3, one man fi'om TJtkiavwin made 
a short journey iuUmd, '•carrv-iug " his kaiak fi-om lake to lake, and 
killed two deer in this way without firing a shot. I believe tbis metliod 
of hunting is frequently practiced by the paities who go east for trading 
in the sunmier, and those who \'isit the rivers for the jmrjiose of hunting. 

The natives seemed to expect deer in summer at the lagoons, as 
along the isthmus between Ime'kpun and Imekpuniglu they had set up 
a range of stakes, evidently intended to turn the deer up the beach 
where he wovdd be .seen ti-om the camp at Perniju. Only one deer, 
however, came down either summer, and he escaped without being seen. 
This contrivance of .setting up stakes to guide the deer in a certain 
direction is very commonly used by the Eskimo. Egede give.s a 
curious description of tlie practice in Greenland in his day: They 
•'chase them [i. e., the reindeer] by Clap-hunting, setting upon them on 
all sich's and smronnding them with all tlieir Women and Children to 
force them into Detih-sand Narrow Passages, where the Men armed lay 
in wait for them and kill them. And when they have not People 
enough to surround them, then they put up white Poles (to make up 
the Number that is wanted) witli Pieces of Turf to head them, which 
frightens the Deer and hinders it from escaping."' PI. 4. of the same 
work, is a very curious illustration of this style of hunting. 

A similar method is practiced at the Coppermine River, where the 
deer are led by ranges of turf toward the spot where the archer 
is hidden.^ Franklin also m>ticed between the Mackenzie and the 
Colville similar ranges of driftwood stumps leading across the plain 
to two cairns on a hill,-' and Thomas Simi)son mentions a similar 
range near Herschel Island,^ and double rows of tiuf to represent men 
leading down to a small lake near Point Pitt, for the imrpose of 
driving the deer into the water where they could he speared.' This is 

• Greenland, p. 62. 

'Fnmklili, 1st Expfil.. vol. 2, p. 181. 

»2<lEsp«I.. P.1.-J7. 



.>(5(j Tin; rcuNT nAimow eskimo. 

sinuhMi..tlu'i.rn(-Ik'.Ml.-s,nilM'd l.y S.lnvatka' ain.niothe''NetscUilluk'' 
f Iviii"- William's Ijaiiii, wiit-ri' a ii:i<- "f caiiiis as high as a man aud 
r!(i to KtO yards apart is ixiilt alou- a rid-c runuiiig obUqiiely to the 
watiM- When dew arc seen feeding near the water the men form a 
skirmish line from tlie last raiiii to tlu'^ water and advance slowly. 
The deer mistake tlie caii lis for men anil take to the water, where they 
are easiJv spear.d. 

The most important .leer luint takes plaee in the late fall and early 
spring. Nvheu the natives go inland M or T.". miles to the upper waters of 
Kiiaru and Kulugrna, where the deer aic exec'dingly plentiful at this 
season. Capt. Uerendeen, who went inland with the deer hunters in the 
autumn of LSSli, reports that the bottom lands of Kulugrna " h)oked like 
a. eattle yard," from the tia.-ks of the reindeer. They start as soon as 
it is possible to travel across tlie country with sledges, usually about the 
first of October, taking guns, ammunition, tishing tackle, and the nec- 
essary household iiiciisjls for themselves and their families, and stay till 
the davlight ucis too sliort for hunting. In 1882, many parties got home 
about Octohcr -'7 or I's. At this season there is seldom snow enough 
to build snow lints, so they generally live in tents, always close to the 
rivers from which they procure water for household use. The men 
spend their time hunting the deer, while the women bring in the game, 
attend to drying the skins and the household work, and catch whiteflsh 
ami burbot "thr.mgh the ice ,,f the rivers, which are now frozen hard 
enough for this purjiosc. Sdini- of the oM men and those who have not 
a supply of ammunition engage in the same pursuit, 

A comiiaratively small number of the |.co]ile go out to this fall deer 
hunt, which appears lo lie a new custom, adopted siiu'e Dr. Simpson's 
time. It was iiroliably not wovtli while to go out after deer at seasons 
when there was not enough snow for iligging iiitfalls, since they depended 
cliietly on these for the capture of the reindeer before the introduction 
of lirearms. Fully halldf each village go out on the spring deer hunt, 
as they did in Maguiie"s time, the lirst parties starting out with the 
return of the sun, about .laimary •-.'•;, and the others following in the 
course of twoorlhrei' weeks, and reiiiaiii out till about the middle of 
Ajuil, when it is time to come back for tin' whale tislicry. The people 
of ntkiaNwin alwa\s tia\cl to the hunting grounds by a regular road, 
which is the same as that followed by Lieut. Kay in his exploring trip.s. 
They travel along the coast on the ice wherevi-r it is smooth enough till 
they reach ST'nani. and then strike across country, crossing Kuaru and 
reaching Kulugrna near the hill Niiasii'knan. (See map, PI. ii.) 

The ]ieople from N'liwuk travel straight aia'oss Kls(ui Hay to the south 
till they reach nearly the same region. Some |iarties frcun Nuwuk also 
hunt in the rough c(Miiitry between Kulugrna and Ikpikpuil. As the 
sledges are heavily laden with camp eiiuipage, provisions and oil for 
the lamjis. they travel slowly, taking four or Ave days for the journey, 



MCRDocHl HUNTING REINDKKU. 2fi7 

stopping for the uiglst with tolcialilf rf.uiiliiril,\ ;ii ciTtaiii sliitioiis whore 
tlie first party thiit travels over tlie trail l)nil(l snow liiils, wliich are 
useil hy those who follow them. At flic risers they an^ scattered in 
suiall camps of foiu- or live tamUies, about a day's jouriie>- apart. As 
well as we, could learn these camps are in regularly esialiHslied jdaces, 
where the. same peojile retru'n every year, if tliey limit al ail. It even 
seemed as if the.se localities were eonsidn-ed tlie propeity of certain 
influential families, who cxmld allow any others they pleased to join 
their parties.' It is certain, at all events, that the people of (Ttkiavwifi 
did not hunt ou the Ikpikpun with the men of Xuwuk. At this season 
they live entirely in snow huts, often excavated in the deep drifts under 
the river blufts, and th(^ men hunt deer while the women, as before, 
catch fish in Kuaru and Ivulujirua. None are taken in Ikplkpnfi. (See 
above, p. oS. > 

Deer are ji'enerally very plentifid at this season, though sometimes, as 
hai)pein-d in February, lss:i. there comes a warm southerly wind whi(di 
makes them all retreat fartiier inland tor a few days. They are gener- 
ally hunted by chasing them on snowshoi-s. in the manner already de- 
scribed, but with much better chances of success, since when a iinmher 
of hunters are out in the same regiim the deer are kept moving, so that 
a herd started by one hunter is very apt to run within gunsh<it of an- 
other. Tlu! natives have generally very good success in this spring 
hunt. Two men who were hunting on shares for the station killed up- 
ward of ninety reindeer in the .season of 1883. A great deal of the meat 
is, of course, consumed on the s|)ot, but a good many deer are brought 
home frozen. They are skinned and brought home whole, only the 
heads and h-gs being cut off. The latter are disjointed at tiie knee and 
elbow. These frozen carcasses are u.sually cut up with a saw for cooking. 
At this season the does are pregnant, and many good-sized fetuses are 
brought home frozen. We were told that these were excellent food. 
though we never saw them eaten. For tin' fust two or tJireedays after 
the return of the deer hunters to tlie village all the little boys are play- 
ing with these fetuses, which they set uji as targets for their blunt 
arrows. 

Before starling for the deer hunt the hunters generally take tlie mov- 
al)le inoperty which they do not mean to carry with them out of the 
house and biii\- it in the snow for safe keeping, apparently thiidting that 
while a disiiunest person might help himself to small articles left around 
the house, he could hardly go to work and dig uji a cache without at- 
tracting the attention of the neighbors. If both families from a house 
go deer hunting, they eitlieiwlo.se it up entirely or else get .some family 
who have no house of tlii'ir own to take care of it during their absence. 
During the season, small parties, traveling light, with'very little bag- 
gage, make flying trips to the village, usually to get a fresh supply t>f 

'Dr. Richardson IjeUeve.s tliat the liuutins; -rounils ..r f;,mili.-9 iire kept sa.r,-,! anions thf Eskimo. 
Scarchins Expi^rtition, vol. 1. p,-. iM. :)51, S,-,.. ats,., U,,/ same antliof. r^per- Xf w Philosophical .luor- 
nal, vol. 52, p. .123. 



•JfJ.vJ TH1-; POINT BAKKOW ESKDIO. 

ainimuiitiou or oil. ami at tlic end of the season a lucky hunter ahnost 
always semis in to borrow extra dogs and hire women and children to 
help ItrinR in iiis f:aine. The skins, which at this season are very thick 
ami lieavy. suitable only for blankets, heavy stockings, etc., are simply 
niimli iliied in tiie ojx'n air. and brought in stacked np on aflat sled. 
I,i4iu. Hay met a NiiwfiU paity returning in 1882 with a pile of these 
skins tliat looked like a load of hay. With such heavy loads they, of 
course. tra\il \ery slowly. A few natives, especially when short of 
ainnninition, still use at fliis season the snow pitfalls nientioned'by 
('apt. Maguire.' 

The following is the description of those seen by Lieut. Ray in 18S;3: 
A round hole is dug in the drifted snow, along the bank of a stream or 
lake. This is about .') feet in diameter and 5 or 6 feet deep, and is brought 
up to within L' or .'5 iiu'hes of the surfiice, where there is only a small 
hole, through which the snow was removed. This is carefully closed 
with a thin slab of snow' and baited by strewing reindeer moss and 
bunches of grass over the thin surface, through which the deer breaks 
as soon as he stepson it. The natives say that they sometimes get two 
deer at onc^e. 

This method of hunting the reindeer appears uncommon among the 
Eskimo. I find no mention of it except at Eepulse Bay.^ and among 
the Netsilliugmiut, where dogs' urine is said to be sprinkled ou the 
snow- as a bait to attract the deer by its " Salzgehalt.'" Lieut. Ray 
was informed by the natives that the " Nunatanmiun " also captured 
deer by means of a rawhide noose set across a regular deer path, when 
they discovered such. The noose is held up and spicad by a couple of 
sticks, and the end staked to the ground with a piece of antler. A sim- 
ilar method was practiced by the natives of Norton Sound.^ A few 
jiarties visit the rivers in summer for the purpose of hunting reindeer, 
but most of the natives are either off on the trading expeditions pre- 
viously mentioned or else settled in the small camps along the coast, 
.'{ or 4 miles ai)art, whence they occasionally go a short distance inland 
in search of reindeer. 

I'lii- .srrt/.— The flesh of the smaller seals forms such a staple of food, and 
their blubber and skin serve so many important piu'poses, that their cap- 
ture is one of the most necessary pursuits at Point Barrow, and is car- 
ried on at all seasons of the year and in many different methods. During 
the season of open water many seals are shot from the umiaks engaged 
in whahng and walrus hunting or caught in nets set along the shore at 
HIson Bay. This is also the (mly season when seals can be captured 
with the small kaiak darts. 

The princii)al seal lisheiy, however, begins with the closing of the sea, 
usually about tlie middle „f October. When the pack ice comes in 
there are usually many small ojieu pools, to which the seals resort for 
air. Most ot the able liodied men in the village are out every day armed 

'"■" ' " ' ' "" , P.13L 



MURDOCH.] SEAL HUNTING. 'if^t 

with tlie riric and rctrioviiiy- harpoon, travclini; many niih's anionj; tlic 
ice hiininioL-ks in search of such liolcs. VVlicn a seal siiows iiis licad he 
is shot at with the lifle, and the hunter, it snccesslul, secures iiis -anie 
with the harpoon. Tliis method of hunting- is i)raelice<l (hrouKliont tiie 
winter wherever open holes lorm in the ice. A native jjoiny to visit iiis 
nets or t(t examine tiie condition of the ice always carries his ritle and 
retrieving- harpoon, in case he should conu' across an open hole wliere 
seals uught be found. The hunt at this season is accompanied witli 
con.sideralde danger, as the ice pack is not yet firmly ((insolidated and 
portions of it ii-equently move offshore with a- shift of the wind, so that the 
hunter ruus the risk of being carried out to sea. The natives exercise 
considerable care, and generally avoid crossing a crack if the wind, 
however light, i.s blo-mng offshore; but in spite of theii- pre<antions 
men are every now and then carried off to sea and ucNcr return. 

The hunters meet with many exciting adventures. On the morning 
of November 24, 1882, all the heavy ice outside of the bar broke away 
fi'om the shore, leaving a wide lead, and began to move rapidly to the 
northeast, carrying with it three seal hunters. They were fortunately 
near enough to the village to be seen by the loungers on the village 
hill, who gave the alarm. An umiak was immediately mounted on a 
flat sled and carried out over the shore ice witli great rajiidity, so that 
the men were easily rescued. The prom])tiu'ss and energy with which 
the people at the village acted showed how well the danger was appre- 
ciated. 

At this sea.son of the year a single calm night is sufiicient to cover all 
the holes and leads witii young ice strong enough to suiiport a man, 
and occasionally before the park comes in tlu' open .sea freezes over. 
In this young ice the seals make their breathing holes (adlu), "about 
the Bigness of a Halfiienny," as Egede says, and the natives employ the 
stabl)ing harpoon for their capture. At the present day this is seldom 
used alone, but the seal is shot through the head as he comes to the 
surface, and the spear only used to secure him. Seals which have been 
shot in this way are sonietinu^s carried off by the cm-rent before they 
can be iiarpooned. As far as 1 can learn, this practice of shooting seals 
at tiie adlu is peculiar to Point Barrow (including probably the rest of 
the Ai-ctic coast as far as Kot/.ebue Sound), though the use of the una, 
as already stated, is very general. 

This method of hunting can generally be jirosecuted only a few days 
at a time, as the movements of the pack soon break up the fields of 
young ice, though ih-w lields frequently form in the course of the season. 
After the .Tanuar\ gales the pack is so firmly consolidated that there 
are no longer an\ ojieu holes or leads, and when the spring leads open 
young ice seldom lornis, so that tins method of hunting is as a rule con- 
iined to the period l)ctween the middle of October and the early part of 
January. 

With the departure of the sun, about the middle of November, begins 



'xcites 


1 tlie 


curiosity of 


i leu.l, 


. Oil 


ic at leugtli 


f tlic 


SOUIK 


I. which of 


is I'Uti 


led i 


I. 

II this way. 


It' ii.'tt 


ITS ti- 


om Utkiav- 



.>-^0 Tin; POINT BAKKUW KSKl.Mo. 

the netting;-, which is tiu- imhs, i,u,,..,tanl lislici y of the year, but which 
can be prosecuted with su.ress only in the .h.rkest nights. The natives 
say tliat even a l>rij;hl aurora interferes with tlie nettinj;. .Vt this sea- 
siin narrow h'adsot ojieii water are olteii fornie.l paraUel to the shore, and 
freiiui'iilly reiiiaiii open lor several days, 'fhe natives are coustautly 
reeonnoiterinj;' tlie ice in se;ir<-li of siicii leads, and when one is fouud 

nearly all the men in ilie \ illa-e ii it I" it with their nets. A [dace 

is sonylil where the ice is tolerably level ami not too thick for about a 
hundred yards back from I he lead, at wliirli distance the nets are set, 
often a naiuber of tliem (dose toi;cther. in lliemanin'r abeady described, 
so that they hang like, curtains under the ice, parallel to the edge of the 
open water. When darkness comes on the hunters begiu to rattle on 
the i<-e with theu- ice picks, scratch with the seal call, or make some 
other gentle and continuous uoise. wlii(di soon 
the seals that are s\vimiuiug about in the i>[H 
dives under the ice and swims in th.' direction 
course leads him directly into the net, wlnre li. 

On favorable nights a. great many seals ai^ 
For instance, on the night of December 2, Issl', i 
win alone took at least one hundred seals. Such lucky hauls are not 

(.,,11111 , however. As the weather at this season is often excessively 

cold, the seals freeze stiff soon after they are taken from the net, and if 
siinicient snow has fallen they are stacked up by sticking their hind 
tlii)pers in the snow. This keeps them from being covered up and lost 
if the snow begins to diift. I have counted thirty seals, the property 
of one native, piled up in this way into a. single stack. The women and 
children go out at their couveuienct^ with dog sleds and bring in the 
seals. .V womau, however, who is at work on deerskin ch)thiug must 
not toiu'h a hand to the seals or the sled on which they are loaded, but 
uia\ lend a hand at hauling on the di'ag hue. When the seals are 
brought to the edge of the beach they must not be taken on land till 
each has been given a mouthful of ti-esh water. We did not learn the 
object of this practice, but N'ordenskiiihl. who observed n similar custom 
at I'itlekaj. was informed that it was to keep the leads from closing.' 

When tlie lead l^i^eps open for several days, or there is a prospect of 
its opeuing again, the liiintei leaves his gear out on the ice, sometimes 
bringing his iec [lick. scoop, and setting pole part way home and sticking 
them 111) in the snow alongside of the path. In»1884 a lead remained 
oiieii for se\eral days about 3 or 4 miles from the village, and the 
nati\es made a regular beaten trail out to it. When we visited the net- 
ting ground the lead had closed, but nearly all the men had left their 
gear .sticking uii near it. with the nets tied u]) and hung upon the ice 
picks. They had built little w alls of snow slabs as a protection against 
the wind. The season for iliis netting ends with the January gales, 
whicii close the leads permanently. 



8i;al hun'i 



Later in tlie winter rlie seals icsint to 
amoug the hummocks for air. ami nets are 
cracks, so that a seal can nor approach tlic . 


very inconsidcrai.l.- 
set han.ninj^- aronii 
■rack widiont lieini; ( 


cracks 
d these 
■aiiuht. 


There was such a crack Jnst in riic eil.i;c ol" t 
a mile from rtkiavwifi. in i''el)rnary. I.S,S.">, 


lie ron'ih land Hoc, i 
fiom which two mi 


lol half 
■n took 


seveial seals, visitin.u flic nets ev<'r\ day ( 
not go (iff "II the deer hunt kec]) one or nii 
either in this way or in the third method, \ 
after the daylight has come liack, when tin 


.r two. fhosc men > 
nc seal nets set all 
viiich can lie practic( 
• ice is thick. \t ti 


Alio do 
w inter, 
I'd only 
lis sea- 



son there are fi-equently to he fonnd anioiii; the hammocks w hat the 
natives call i'glm, dome-shaped snow honses aliont (> feet In diameter 
and 2 or 3 feet liigh, with a smooth round hole in the top, and commu- 
nicating with the water. These are undoubtedly the same as the snow 
burrows described by Kumlien,' which the female seal builds to bring 
forth her young in.- They are curious constructions, looking astonish- 
ingly like a man's work. The natives told me that nets set at these 
places were for the capture of younu seals (nctyiaru). It appears that 
these houses are the proiierty of a sin,<ile female only until her y<iiing 
one is able to take to the water, as a net is ke]it set at one of these 
holes, as well as I could understand, sometiines capturing several seals. 
The net is set flat under the hole, the c.irners being drawn out by ends 
letdown through small holes in a circle round the main oiienini;, through 
which the net is drawn. A seal risinu to the surface runs his head 
thnmgh the meshes of the net. The small holes aiul sometimes the 
middle one are careftdly covered with slabs of snow. 

The ofrtcers of the revenue steamer Conrli,. who made the sledge 
Journey along the northeast coast of Siberia in the early summer of 
ISSl, saw seal nets set in this way, flat, under air holes iu the ice, with 
a hole for each corner of the net. When a seal was caught the net was 
drawn up thnmgh the middle hole with a hooked pole.^ In IS.s;! they 
began settingthese netsat roiiit Harrow about March 4, and ]irobably 
about the same date the .\ear before, though we did uot happen to ob- 
serve this nu^thod of netting until considerably later. 

In June and .Inly, when tlu' ice becomes rotten and worn into holes, 
the seals "haul out" to bask in the sun, and are then stalked and shot. 
They are exceedingly wary at this season. The seal usually taken in 
the methods above described is the rough or ringed seal (Phoca ftetida), 
but in 1881 a single male ribbon seal (HistrioiiluxM fasciata) was netted, 
and in 1882 a native shot (me at the breathing hole, but it was carried 
away by the current before he could secure it. The natives said that 
they sometimes caught the harbor seal (P. vitulina) in the shore ni'ts iu 
Elson Bay. The bearded seal (ErigTiathus barbatus), whose skin is 
especially prized for making harpoon lines, boot soles, umiak co\ers, 



I, Antic Kfsi'.iri-lii's. pp. 507 and 578. with diagl-ama. 
per, C'orwiu Kcpnrt. p. 25. 



walt-r. wlici 


11 it is 


tlifvairsoi 


net lint 


li.ilcs ill Tin 


• i-oiiul 


The iniln 


■(s.—'V\ 


ami is alim 


.St ahv 


aii.l lili.'. 


Th.' w 



lli; POINT ISAKUdW ESKIMO. 

iiiKhiiit. and miiirs chietiy in the suasou of open 
lured IVoui tlic iiiiiiai< with harpoon aud rifle, but 
uiid ill the winter, as two were killed at breathing 

alms occuisoiily diuing the seasouof open water, 
raptured iKiiii the umiak with the large harpoon 
uii iHiats usually timl a few, especially late in the 
.si'isi>n and atler the trading parties have gone in the suinuier the 
iiaVi\cs who remain are generally out in the boats a good deal of the 
time li>okiug for walrus and seals. As a general thing walrus are espe- 
eially plenty in Seiileinber, when nuieh loose ice is moving backwards 
and forwards with tlie curreut, freqiu'iitly sleejiing iii large herds upon 
eakes of ice. Tin' boats, which are out iiearl\ e\'ei y da\ at this season 
with vnlunleer eivws, not regularly organized as for whahiig, paddle 
as near as tliev < an to these sleephig iierds and try to shoot them in 
the hi'ad. aiiniiii; also to "fasten" to as many as they can with the har- 
iiooii and float as ilie> hurry into the water. A harpooned walrus is 
followed up with the boat and shot with the rifle when a chance is 
ottered. Swimiuiug \valrus«'s are chased with the boat aud "fastened 
to'' bv darting the harpoon. When a walrus is killed it is towed up to 
the nearest cake of ice and eut up on the spot. We never knew of the 
kaiak being- used in walins-hunting, as is the custom among the eastern 
Eskimo. 

Till' ir'i(tli:—T\H' pursuit of the"bowheail" whale (Baheiia mysticetus), 
so valuable not only t\n- the food furnished by its flesh and "blackskin" 
and the oil from its blubber, but ibr tlic whalebone, which serves so' 
many useful purposes in the arts of the Kskimo and is besides the 
chief article ot trade with the ships, is carried on with great regularity 
and tbiinalit.N. In the tir.st place all the umialiks (boat-owners) orthose 
who are to be the captains of whaling umiaks, before the deer hunters 
.start out in .lannary. bring all the gear to be used in the whale fishery 
to the kfi'ilyigi. where it is ciiiisecrated by a ceremony consisting of 
(111 iiiug aud singing, perlia|is partaking of the nature of an incan- 
tation. 

(apt. Ilereiideen was the only one of our party who wtnessed this 
ceremony, which took place at Utkiavwm on January 9, 1883, and he 
did not bring back a detailed account of the proceedings. During 
part of the ceremony all the umialiks were seated in a row upon the 
floor, aud a woman passed down the line marking each across the face 
with an oblique streak of blacklead. As soon as the deer hunters re- 
turn in the spring the\ begin getting ready for the whales, covering 
the boats, fitting lines to liar] ns, and i.utting gear of all suits in per- 
fect order. Kvery article to lie used in whaling — hari ns, lances, pad- 
dles, and even the timbers of the boats — must be scraped perfectly 
clean.' This work is generally done by the umialik himself aud his 

' Couipari- Egcilu. Creeulaud, p. 102. Tlie whale " cau't bear sloven aud dirty habits." 



MUKDnrH.l WHALING. 27.'i 

family, as tli.- cirws do not enter on their dm ies till , he wlialinuael iially 
<-()mmeiii'('s. The crews are re.uidaih m^aiiized I'ov the seasmi and are 
made up duriiif;- the wintei- and <'arly sprim;. 'riie\ cimsisi df ei'dil <ir 
ten persons to eaeli Imat. ineliidiui;- Ihe eaplain. w ho is al\\a\s the 
owner of the ])oat. and sits in tlie stern and sleeis, nsiiiy a lar^ci- pad 
die tlian the rest, and the hari».onei-. who oreupies Ihe how.' ~\\heii a 
bombgiiii is carried it is iidinsted to a IIhkI man. who sits in Ihe 

waist of the boat, and whose dniy it is to si I the wiude whenevei- lie 

sees a favorable opportninty. whether it lias been harpooned or not. 
The rest are simply jiaddlers. 

When used for whalinj;, the umiak is propelled by paddles aloiu', 
sails and oars never beiui;- even taken on boaid. Men are prel'erred Cor 
the whaling- crews when enonuii can lie seenied. otherwise (he \aeancies 
are filled by women, who inai;e ettieieiil jiaddlei s. Some ninialiks hire 

eles. and jn-ovidin.i; them with food dnriiii; the season. Others ship 
men on shares. We diil not h-arn tlie exact proportions of I liese shares 
in any ease. They apjiear to concern the whalcbon.' alone, as all seiaii 
to be entitlc.l to as much ol' the tiesh ami bliilibcr as they <-aii cut otf 
in the --encral scramble. .\t this season cxplorin.u- parties are out every 
<lay examining- the state of the ice to ascertain when the jiack is likely 
to break away from the landlloe. and also to lind the liest path lor the 
umiaks through the hnminocks. 

.In 1882 the c lition of the ice was such that the boats conld lie 

taken out directly from I'tkiavwln.by a somewhat winding path, to Ihe 
edge of the land doe about five or six miles from the shore. This path 

was marked out by the seal-hunters during the winter, and soi I the 

natixes spent their leisui-e time widening and iiii|iro\ ing it. knocking 
off proiecting points of ice witli picks and wiial.' sjiades. and tilling up 

the worst of Ihe i lualilies. :\Iiic!i of the patii. however, was exceed- 

inglv rough and dillicult when it was considered tinished. In iss;! 
the land tio<- was so i-oiigli and wide abivast of the village that no 
liracticable path conld be made, so all the whalemen with their families 
moved np to Inie'kphfi and .■ncamped in tents as already described 
(seep. SI) for the season, from this point a tolerably straight and 
easy path was mad.' out to the edge of the land Hoe. The natives in- 
formed me as early as April 1 that it would be necessary for fliem to 
move up to lnie'ki.ii|-i, adding that tli.' ic.' alireast of the village was 
very heav\- and would mo\-e onl\ when warm weathei came. This pre- 
diction was correct, as Ihe season of ISS.', was .so late that no ships 
reached the station until .\tignst I. 

About the ]iii<ldle of .\pril the natives begin anxiously to exjiect an 
east or southeast wind (nigy,.) to drive ofl' the \);n-k ami open the leads, 
ami should it m>t sjieedily blow from that (piarfer recourse is had to 
su])ernatural iiu'ans to liring it. A ]iarty of men go out and sit in a 
semicircle facing Ihe sea on the \ illage cliff, while one man in tin mid- 



1 






III.- ■a\><>u\ 



to make tlM' d-vsin-d wiiul 



,,,.,,, I, ,1,,,.. „n, ^MT'^"f'''---''-^':^>:/i'''f ;|-|;;;il|r'\'';;;;;:;^ 

si. .11 nfmi-iiccfssliil alli'iiipts wciv niailr in 1SS2. sdiiu' ..rtliian by men 

ul,„ nrvi-i Ill- kuowlr,!-.- i>iarti,-.-.l ia.-anratioiis on otlin- ,„M-asious. 

l,„nno. this iMTiod, and wliii.- IIh; wl.alMi.i;- is .^nin- ,.n. no pounding 

ITknui-u's'o!!' wood 'lw!^n;i!"!,l'riilir-.m.K away tlio wlialos.^ It is 

!","',' "of Ih.. m!lt ini|M,ilanr indiistri.-s of tin- yar. -Mr. Dall'says: 

••Wiiilf til.' tisli.Ty lasts no w I must 1..- (ait xvitii an ax.'. ..!■ the sal- 

,„„„ will .lisapp.'ai." 

lo.,irspn.'ni'isin-. Ilu' l...ats an' tak.ai ..lit to the, ...I-.. ..f 111.' laud Hot- 
Mud k.'pt ..nt th.a.' .lunii- th.- s..ason. which lasts till alioiit tlie last 
w.-.'k in .lull.', wln'ii Ih.'V aiv hr.m.uht in aii.l ::'.>t v.'aily lor th.' suniiuer 
.•\p,'.liti..iis. Wh.'ii III.' I.'a.l I'L.s.'s, as ..fr.-n liapp.'iis. tli.' boats av.- 
haul.'.! up oil 111.' i.-c an. I many ..r all of the .'I'cws .'..luc lioiii.' until 
th.'iv ar.' jirosp.'.'ts ..f .iii.'ii wal.'r. Wli.'ii tluT.' is op.'u wat.T. th." 
l..,ats ai-.' always .>n tli.' lo..k..iit for whal.'s. .'itii.'r .'I'liisiu-- about iii 
III.' I.'a.l .11- Ivin.i;- up at Ih.- .'.li;.' .if lli.' Il.i.'. Ilu' .'r.'ws .■atiu-' and slc'i.- 
iim wh.'ii th.'y .-an -.'I a .'liau.'.' aii.l sli...itiii.u s.'als aii.l .lii.'ks wlifu 
tln-iv ar.' no wlial.'s in si-ht. Th.' wonioii aii.l .'hil.ln-n trav.'l back 
and forth b.'tw.'.'ii tli.' villa,;;.' and th.' b..ats. .-anyiiiy supplies of f.i.id 
tor III.' whali'iii.'n. 

In iss:;, thi'iv was a iv-ular beaten trail aloiiK tbf smooth shore ice 
belwe.'ii Iiii.'''kpuii aii.l I'tkia vwin. wh.'r.' |i.'..pl.' wer.' .'.mstautly trav- 
(diiij;' ba.'k ami Ibrlli. Wh.'ii tli.' boats ar.' out no w..man is all.iw.'.l to 
s.'W. as was m.ti.'.'.l by Dr. Simps.. n.' '!'.. .-airy th.' umiak out ov.'i' 
th.' I.'.' it is lash.'.l on a Hat sl.'.l ami .Irawii by .L.-s ami iii.'U. A .le- 
.scripti..ii .if oa.' ..f tli.'s.' b.iats wlii.'h 1 ai'.'..iiipaiii.'.l for jiart of its j..ur- 
II. -y ..lit t.>tli.' ..p.'ii wal.'r. will show liowa whal. 'boat is lift. -il ..ut. The 
riti.'>. harp....ns. lan.'.'s. ami otli.'r .i^var of tli.' |.arty w.'i'.' scut on ah.'ad 
on a sl.'.l .Irawii b\ half a .lo/.'ii .h.i;s, with a woman to lead them. 
After th.'si' ha.l mad.' a sli.irt sta.i;.'. they were uiifastoued from this 

' H,ill •sp.-.ikv ..! s.-riii'z tlir ;i 111:. 1.1. \.i \ l.ns\ ;nikiii.l iii'^ nil tlic hills "—"Tn try and got the pack 



Muimncn. ] \V 1 1 A L I N (i . O ~, .") 

sled and l>M)ii-lir hack ami lianirsscil to the Hal sird nu w Inch iho 
uiiuak was lashed. The |iart\ . wliicli (•(insisted oj' ll\c iiicii and I w o 
women, one of whom femained with the sled load oT i;car. then started 
ahead, tlie women luntiinj;- in fioiit of the dotjsand the men pushing at 
the sides of the lioat. The hoat tiavels ver\ easily and lapidlyoii 
smooth ice. l.iit amoii- the hm -ks the men haxchard uoik |msliin- 

places ill thep^ith and to chisel otf iirojectin- points of ice uhich miulit 
pierce the skill C(,ver of the boat. When they came up to I he Inst 
sled the women were a-aili sent on with this while the men rested. 
The inthiled sealskin floats. li\c or six m number, the whale harpoon, 
and whale spades, and ice picks were carried in the boats. 

A whalm.u umiak always carries a number of amulets to insure suc- 
cess. I'hese c(Uisisfed in this case of two wolf skulls, a diied raseii, 
tlie axis vertebra of a seal, and numerous leathers, '{'he skin of a 

waalii was particiilarl\ desirous to secure the lip of a red to\"s tail, 

wore lillels of I intain sheepskin, with a little crystal or stone ima.ue 

of a whale daii,ulin,u at each side of the facc.aiid the captain's lillet was 

also frilij;-ed with the incisor teeth of the nntaiii sheep. |!(,tli wore 

little stone whales attached to the breast of the Jacket, and one woman 
and one or two of the men had streaks of black lead (m their faces.' 

When they are on the watch for whales the .ureat harpomi is kept 
always ri^.^ed and reslin,^ in a crotch of ivory in the bow of the boat. 
When a whale issi-hted they paddle npascl,,se as possilile and the 

harj lei- thrusts the harpoon into him. The whale di\cs. with the 

lloats attached to him. and the shaft, which is retained, is ri-.-ed for 
strikin- him when he rises a-ain. The other boats, if any are near, 
join in the chase until the whale is so wearied that he can be lanced 
or a fi\(uablc opp(Utiiiiity occurs fbr shootin.i; him. All boats in si.oht 

at the time the whale is st ruck, as I underst 1. are entitled to an 

e(pial share of the whalelxuie. 

.\s s as the whale is killed he is towed up to the e(l.uv of the land 

tloeand everybody standin-on the ed-e of the ice and in the boats 
be-ins hackin- away, at random, at the Hesh and blubber, some of 
them .udin- to work ukuv carefully to cut out the whaleli.me. 'fhe 
••(aittin.i;- in" is maiKlji'ed without order i>y c(Uitrol, everybody who can 
be on the sp(.t beinj;- a|.parently entitled to all the meat, bluliber. and 
blackskin he or slie can cut olf. The same eu.st(mi was luacriced in 
Greenlaud, and is to this day in eastern Siberia. 



loatlw, ,sp,.,i:illy >„ 
rn8 already dead, wn 



KIMO 



Whih- rlicv an* very |i;niiinlar in nil suix'rstitious observauces re- 
•inliii<'- the whales. tlifV an- Irss can'tul alxmt certain things, such as 



l.m.l talkin,!:- and linn.n .uuiis 



Is and fowl when tb(\v are wait- 
llv hull Ihcii- chances witli the timid animals. 
The\ are l<'^s .■neri;vli<-than one W(.ul(l suppose in pursuit of the whale, 
■ic-ordiu" ic> <'aiit. Ilerendeeii. whospeiit several dayseach season with 
'tlie\vhalel)oat>! insl.'ail of cruisini^- aliout the lead in searcli of wliales 
Ihev are ratln-r inclined lo lie in wait for t'aeni at the ed.'^e of the floe, 

When tin' leads are \ cry narrow the whales are sometinn's shot witli 
tin- hoinhiiun from the ed.ue of tlie ice. Success in this appears to be 
viriiblc ~ln issi; only one small whale was secured, and in 1883 one 
full "rown one. though several were struck and lost each season. The 
veteran whaliim master. ('a|it. L. <'. Oweii, informs me that one season 
tlie boat- of ihcsc I wo villa.iies captured ten. The season of issr, was 
very successful. The natives of the two villages are report<'d to ha\e 
taken iwciitx ci^lil whales. ('a]it. K. K. Smith, howexer. iiiforurs me 

When acluallv eniia-ed in whaling the iimialik exorcises a very fair 
<lei:ice of disci|iline. but at other times he seems hardly able to keep 
his men from stiaugling off to go home or to visit their .seal nets, etc., 

Nowhere cl.s.'ainon- tlie Kskiino does the whale fishery appear to be 
conducted in such ivgular iminner with tbrnially organized crews as 
iilion this northwest coast. From all accounts the animal is only cas- 
ually pursued elsi'where with fleets of kaiaks or umiaks manned by 



Tin- beluga or white whale is only casually pursued, and as fur as 1 
.■ouhl learn is always shot with the rille. It is m.t abundant. 

/.'„„■/.— During the wint.-r months a few i.tarmigan are occasi(mally 
.shot, but the natives pay no s|,ecial attention to birds until the sjuing 
migrations. The Hrst dimks apj.ear a little later than the whales, about 
the end of April or the first week of May, and from that time till the 
middle of June scarcely a day ])asses when they are in)t more or less 
plenty. The king ducks (Smnateria spectabilis) are the first to appear, 
while the I'acitic ciders (S. \ nigra) arrive .somewhat later, and are 
more abunilant towards rhi- end of the migrations. At this season all 
women and children, and many iimmi. go armed with the bolas, and 
everylM.dy is always on the lookout Ibr Hocks of ducks. On four or five 
fa\orable days each season, at intersals of a week or ten days, there 
are great flights of eiders counng u]> in huge flocks of two or three hun- 
dred, stretched out in long diagonal lines. These flocks follow one 
another in ra|)id succession and keej) the line of the coast, apparently 
striking straight across I'eanl I'.ay from the Seahorse Islands to a point 



.-.l,-, Otv.iiiaM.l p iiij; r,:,,it,, nivi,,n,,r iiiviiihiuil, Vol. I, p. 121; Parry, 2a. Voy., p. 
Ill Cluri-, Noillnvi'sl l';issu»-. ii. v: (CiiiK- li^ithurst). 



ML-RI.nr,,.| FOWLING. -ill 

fmiroi- five miles hchnv Vtk\:\v\\]u. mikI most ol' llicm llv iiu :il<iii" I lie 
siiiootli shore-ice to Periiyfi or I'oinr Kairow. Some Mocks ;il\\;ivs lly 
up aiiioii.ii- tlie liummocks of tlie huid tioc. and a few others turn east- 
ward below the vilhig-e and continue their course to the norliicast aci'oss 
the laiul. 

On tlu". days between tlie -reat tliuhts tliere are always a few Hocks 
passiu--. aud some davs when tliere is no liii^iit alon-- siioie thc'\ aic 

very abundant out at the o])en water, where the wlialenicn si I them 

in the intervals of whalin.i;-. When a .nTcat Hiuht be;;jiis thi' |ieonh' at 
the village hasten out aiid form a s<irt of skiiinish line aca'oss the slioic 
iee ft-om the shore, to the hunu 'ks, a few sometimes stati<inin<; them- 
selves among the latter. They take but little pains to conceal them- 
selves, tmiuently sitting out on tl pen icc-liclil on scalini; stools (U- 

squares of bearskins. The ducks j^enerall.N- keep on their couise with- 
out paying much attention to the men. and in fact one ma\- often get a 
shot by riumiug so as to head off an ajiproai-hing tl<pck. I'^irlnu', how- 
ever, frightens them and makes them rise to a considerable hciuht. 
often out of gunshot. Many ducks aie taken with nuns and holas in 
thes.. Mights. 

iv'arher late in the season ti Id sipiaws (Clangula hycmalis) pass 

to the northeast in lar-e Mocks, but usually go so high than none are 
taken. .\ good nian\' of these, however, with a few ciilcrs, geese, brant, 

and loons, remain and bre.-d on the tundra, and ar •casiomilly shot 

by the natives, t hou-h most of them arc too bus.\- with whaling and seal 
and walrus Imntiiig to pay iinicli attention to liirds. Small parlies of 
two or three lads or .\dnng miMi. s<imetiim's with their wives, make short 
<-xcursions inland to the small streams and saml islands east of Point 
Harrow, after birds and I'ggs, and the boys from the small .'amps along 
the coast towards Woody Inlet are always on the lookout for eggs and 
small birds, such as they can kill with their bows and arrows oi' catch 
in snares. They say thatthi' parties wliicli go cast, anil those which 
visit the rivers ill summer, get many eggs and tiiid jdcnty of ducks, 
geese, and swans, which have molted their Might feathers so that they 
are unable My. 

.\b(.ut the end of .Inly tlic return migration of the ducks begins. ,\t 

than in the spring, conic (iom the east along the northern slnnc, and 
cross out to sea at the isthmns of I'ernyii, where the natives assem- 
ble in large numbers to shoot them as w.'ll as to ii t with the Xtina- 

tanmiun. .Ml the | pie who lia\e been scattered along the coast in 

small <-ampsgradna.ny collect at this season at I'crnyii. an<l the return- 
ing eastern parties generall\ stop there two or three days; wliih', alter 
they have brought their families back to the village, the men frc(|Uciitly 
walk U|) to I'eriiyfi for a day or two of diU'k shooting. The tents are 
liitehedjiist in the bend of I<;isoii Itay, and north of them is a narrow 
place in the sandspit over which the ducks often pass. Here the iia- 



278 Till'- P"iNr BAi;i;(i\v r.sKrNro. 

tiv,-.,li"slKill<>w |)its ill thf .urawl. in wliifh tlicy post tlit^nisclvt's with 
..iiii> iinl Ix'ilas. A liiH' of l"'>^ts is set up aloui;- the bund of tii.' l>ea.-h 

rnau ihc tents almost to tin Ilrt of Inn-kinmi-iu. 

WIn-n a liiilil Invr/.r is hlovvin.u Innn the noitln'ast the ducks, n.. 
niMitcr h.'.w far ntf sln.rc thf.v air uli.'ii fiist seen, always head lor the 

tinii of tollowinu- thr line of la-oons and -oin- oat to sea fartlicr down 
the coast, as they soiiictiiiics d.i. When, liowev.'r. they reach this ciitica] 
,„,i,i( the'v <-atcli siuht of the posts, and the natives who are watchin- 
theiii sharply set ill- a shrill yell. Fri.uhteii.Ml l,y this and by the line 
(if posts, nine times out of ten. if the cry is i;iven at the tight iiioment. 
the ducks will falter, become c.mfiised. and. Mually, conectilii;- into a 
.•oM, pact body will whirl ahm.i; the line , if posts, past the tents, flyin- 
.■hise to the water, and turn out to sea at the lirst <ipen space, which is 
.just where the -iinners arc posted. This habit of ycllin- to frighten 
the ducks and brinu' them within .gunshot has been observed on the 
Sjliciiau cost in (ilaces where the <lucks are in the ha!)it of ti>iug in 
and out from lauoous iixcr low bars.' Should the wind blow hard from 
the cast, however, or blow from any other ijuarter, the ducks do not 
tly ill such aliundaiici'. nor do they pay much atteution to the posts or 
the veiling, but often ke;-p on their course down the lagoons, or head 
straight for the licacli and cross wherever they strike it. The latter is 
ueiierally the liabii w itli the old sipiaws. who come, rather late in the 
initiations, while the black brant (Braiita iiigrieans) are more apt to go 
down the lagoons. A few pintail ducks (l)atila acuta), are occasionally 
shot at this season, and are sometimes found in the two little village 
ponds (Tuseraru). The shooting at I'ernyi'i usually lasts till the mid- 
dle or cud of .Sepb'inber. during which month the natives also shoot a 
good many gtdls (Lariis barrovianus and l!ho(h)stethia rosea) as they 
tly along the shore. 

IMl'l.iniKNTS I-'OK KlSIII^'li. 

Ilnoks itiid Inns. -The streams and lakes in the immediate neighbor- 
liooil of I'dini Harrow cmitain no lisli. and there is com))aratively little 
lishiug ill the sea. When the water lirst closes in the autumn narrow 
tide cracks (ifteii tbrm at the very edge (if tlie beacli. .Vt these cracks 
the natives fieiiueiitly catch considerable numliers of I'olar cod (Bore- 
ogailiis saidai ami small si-iil]iins (( '-dttus quailricornis and (J. decas- 
Ireiisisi. with the hock and line. The tackle Ibr this lisliin;;- consists of 



111 .1^ u-,- r«^peato(Uy observed. If 
ii. n[iii\i-s would utter a long. i>t'<-u 
l.v in :i i-ircuit. thus afforiliug tlic 
((Jai).- WanUan-ui), Nelsou, Cruise 



FISIIIXG-TACKl 



27; 



a slmrt line of wlialfhoiic. lUDviilcd witli a lilllc •■s(|iiiir" or aitiliiiMl 
bait of ivuiy, and fastciu'd to a woudrn lod alioiil is imlics or L' Ici-i 
long-. The lurt-. which is a|)iiarciirly inraiit to rc|irrsriii a small sliniup. 
is kept niovin.u'. and the lish liilr at it. Wr lu-ou^hl iioiiic two com 
plete scfs oltaclilc lor tliis kind of li>liiii,u. two lines \Nillioiil rods and 
twelve hires or hooks. Xo. s'.mIs [I7.',;1| l-'io. l'(;i. has Keen selected 
for descri].tion. 

The line is 4(1 inches Ion- and ma<le of fonr strips of whr.lcl.one d-I 
incli wi(U'. fastened roi;ether with what appeal' to lie •• waterknots." 
Two of these strips ar.- of lilack u haiclione, respecti\ fl\ lA and il inches 
Ion-: the other two arc of li-ht colmed whalebone and I."..', and II inches 
loll-. The li.dit e.dored eii.l is made fast to I he eye in the small end of 
the liook as follows: The end is passed throii-li the eye. donUlcd Lack 




and passed throii.-h a sniule knot in the standinu' part, and knotted 
round the latter with a similar knot ( Fi-. I'tM). This knot is (he one 
o-enerally used in fastenin.!;- a tishin- line to the hook. The other end 
is doubled in a short lii-lit into which is l)ecket-hit(died one end <.f a bit 
of sinew threa.l about :! inches hni-. and the otlier end is knotted 
into a notch at one end of the rod. as the whalebone w.mld be too stiff 
to tie securely to the stick. Tiie rod is a roii-ldy whittled splinter of 
California redwood. N.A inches lon;L;. The boily of the hire is a piece 
of walrus iv(a'y \.\ inches Umg. Thi(mi;li a lioh' in the larue end of this 
is driven the barbless brass ln>ok. with a broad thin plate at one .>nd 
hellt iip.tliish with the convex side. When not in use the line is iveled 
lengthwise on tiie rod. secured by a notch at .'ach end of the latter, and 

ther.Ml. The hook is ued-ed into the body 

other .speeiinen. Xo. .S!l.-)47. |17;!;i| from the 

same villa};-e, is silniost exactly like fliis. but 

has a sli-htlv shorter line, made of three stri|is of bone, of which the 

h.wer two. as belore. are of li-ht .'olorcd xNhaleb.mc. Tlie ob.i<'<-t of 

nnder water less conspicnoiis. as we use leaders and castin- lines of 
traiisjiarent silkworm -nt. The body of the lure is made of old brown 
walrus ivory. These lures are 1 incli to 1.^ inches Ion.-', and vary little 
in the shape of the body which is nsiialls inad<' of walrus ivory, in 
most cas..s darken.'.! on the surface by a-e or charriii-. so that wiieii 
carved into shajie it is parti-eohned. black and white. Tlie body is otteii 
ornamented with small colored beads inlaid for eyes and along the back 
(Fi.H-. 2(i(»(, Xo. .■)(i(J(l!l jl.").'.!' ''""1 rtkiavwin). 

The hook is usually of the shape des.-ribed but is s.mietimes simiily a 
sli-htly recurved spur about .'. in.di hm- as lu Fig. -JWh (Xo. r,(i(il() [ KHIJ, 



Fiu -JIM ^Kiiu 



ISO 



■|ii: POINT ItAKHOW ESKIMO. 




ss or copper, rarely of iron. 
No. 3(5705 [150«, and loOi]. 
The first, «, has a body of 
brass of the usual shape, 
aud a fo]ipei hook, and the 
othci, /», has the body made 
,.l istii]i(.l tliui bias's to the 
h.Hk ut ulu.h istastMi.Ml a 
iiii>ot Ifadui pcwt.-i Tlie 
Kik appeals to be made of 
a( (imnion i opjiei t,i( k W e 
^\ele uiloimed tliat these 
hues were <iIso used tor 
citehmg small tish, tiout, 
smelts, and perhaps gray- 
hnn in the rivers in suni- 
mei. >o. s'|-.-.i [<»-,()], Fig. 
li((7(/,tiom I tki i\ win, is per- 
se, ,isit lslaij;('i than the others, 
1 iit( (I w itli beads. Fig. 2676, No. 89783 
les (J', UK hes long), with an iron hook, 
s It }.(l()ime<l to the 

t dlth'ls sholith HI 

,N(. (\esat the SI 



l'tkia\ will, is a lod 
Th( Mid isaumghly 
JTuKlieshnm. One 

lid eadi is 

ithehiwei 

e ( .lines a fi, JO" — H.wka t,>i luer 

|ii 1 witli a bniad flat shank. 
w irhout b.iit. The lines are 





-Tackle for 

iiiaiineroii the rod, ; 
on the sid(.s of it. The small lures an 



' hodks caught into notches 
1 iii'ksiu. 



FISHING-TACK NK 



1>S1 



Wlicnat tli('i-iv<Tsiiitli<';iuminiian.li'Mil.vspiiim. ilicy lisli lor huihot 
with a liiu'canyiug a peculiar lar.^c liook called ii:k(iliin. wliich is hailed 
with a iiii'i-e of whitetish. There are two loriiis of ihis hook ^ 

which is from :'< to '>\ inches loii.u'. One loriii (lilfers in six 1\ i '| 

fnmi the small ui'ksln, hut is always of while ivoiy and uot \\\ 
beaded ( Fi- L'(J9, No. Sil.V.o j7,S(i| from rikiavwifi. w'liicli is If |l r| 

inches lonj;- and has a copper hook). The 1 k is of coppd' , | 

brass or iron. The other form, which is i.erhaps ihc commom i i 

has a narrow Hat body, sli-htly hent.aiul serrated on tiie ed--. s I 

to ^ii'ive a firm attachiiH-nt to the li.iit. This hod\ is usuall.'ot |' / 
antler, and has a copper or iron hook either spui V| 
shaped or of the common form as in fii;. L'TO, No i 
S!C,.-,;; [7(^1 from Utkiavwin. wliicii has a body ol ', , ' 
walrus ivory Hiiches Ion-- and a co|,i,cr hook. ( »l i o 
late years, small cod hooks obtained from tli.> ships im. 
been adapte<l to t hese h.MJies. as is seen in Fi- L'71 \o s'» .".J 
[SlIJ from rtkiavwin. T 

has beeii half indiedded in a lon-itudinal -roov.. 
on the tlattei- side of the body, with the bend of 
the hook ]>roJectin.u' about J incii beyond the ti 
of the latter. The rin- of the hook has been 
bent open and the end sunk into the body. The 
hook is Indd on by two lashin.^s of sinew, one at 
each end of the shank. 

\o. .■>(;.V,t4 l.yj from rtkiavwin is like the pre- 
cediiiii-, but has a hu-vr Inrnk, which from the 
bend to the point is wrai.pe<l in a piece of (h'cr 
skin with the tlesh side out. and wound with 
sinew lia\in.u a tuft of hail' at the point of the 
''uMn'Mu'Tst hook. This is probably to hide the p,m,f when { 

>'■■""-'■"■ the hook is hailed. No. o(i.V.>4 |n;7| from I'tki 

avwih, has the hook fastened to the back of the body in 
stead of th<' llaf side. The manner in which these hook^ 
are baited is shown in I'i.i;. I'TL', which represents a complete '^\ 
set (d'burhot tackle ( No. .s'.C.4(i |!lt(l|) brou-ht inandsoldby . ii i 
some rtkiavwin nati\es. Just as they had been usiii-- it in tin lutumn 
of ISSL' at Kuarii or Kulu-rua. A piece of whitetish, tiesh md skin. 






with the -( ales i<>mo\e(l is \\ rai)i)ed round the 1 k -oas to make a cliil)- 

shaped bo.l\ 11 imdie> louy ami l> se^^. p aloim one si.jc with cotton 

twine. The coi>pei spm piojeds thloujih the skill <ui (h<' other side. 



nil" riiiNTT r.AKKow Eskimo. 

lie lisli unless it were •• .ui)r,i;iMl." but tlicvora- 

l„,t ahv^iys swallows its pivy. In .livssin.u tlifs.- fish for tin- 

loiisiilcialilf size- wcif tici|urntl.\- found in tliciii, 

is of wliali'lionc like tlios.- already desiaibed but a bttle stouter, 

■s^lon-.anu niau seven pieees^all blaek. Th.' .aid of the line 

is fastened into an eve in the small eml of a lon.-h <■hii.-shai.ed sinker of 
-i ..'...... : .- 4.1 inehes loll- There is anotlier eye at tlie Lirse end (.f 




ent ofaleadel 
with the sink( 



sinew braid nA inehes 



lliesil 

lonu- eonneetin- tlr 

The reel, which serves also as a short rod. is of yellow ])ine 1!».J inehes 
\Vlieu the line is reeled up. the hook is eau.u'ht into the Wood OU 
(lie side of the reel. N'o. s'.C i,". \'.Hf<\ is a similar set of baited tackle, 
■ lit from the same natives, ditlerin,!; from the preceding only iu pro- 
liii,._i) left and inches — and a somewhat 
nred two sets of burbot ta(dvle unbaited. 
( )iie of these ( No. .".(i.".f;i [3;>| from Utkiavwiii) lias a whale- 
walrus ivory •■! inehes l.ni- and 1 .] in .liameter. The ho,,k. 
■d to the sinker as belore by a leader of stout 
s of the second i>attern. with serrated edges, 
ipper hook. The leader is neatly spliced into this. 
Theoiher. No..'.(i."".41|l.s71.alsofroni I 'tkiavwin, has uo sinker 
)k \\ itli a elnb shaped bod\ and iron spur. Itwas 
.hal.ly put toiicther Ibr sale, as it is new. The sinkers, of 
which wceoUected li\c besidesthosealready mentioned, are 
always about the same weight and either club-shaped or 
roughly octahedral. They are always of walrus ivory and 
ly imnle. Fig. I'T.'l (No. .".tl.-,77 [iTiO]) repre- 
se sinkers (kibica), on which there is some 
attemi>t at (a-iiaiiieiitatioii. On the larger are two eyes 
and the outline of a iiK.nth lik.> a shark's, incised and HHed 
■k refuse oil. 
.\ similar line and reel are used tor catching polar cod in 
e spring ami late winter tlii(.iiijli the ice at some distance 



ith 



1."". fathoms long, and 4, 



jiroviiled wirh a heavy sinke 

lead, to which areattached by wlialehoiieleaders of iinei^ 
length. tw<. little Jiggers like Fig. l-'T 1 (the proj.erty of the 
writer, from Utkiavwn-i). This is of white walrus ivory, 2J 
ineh.-s long and 2 in diameter at the largest part. The 
two slender hooks ;ue of copper and are se.aired by 
wedges of wlialel.oiie. This makes a contrivance re- 
sembling the sipiid jigs used l.y our tisliermeii. These 
Jiggers aiv sometimes made whoUv of coi.i.er. wlii.di is 
scraped bright. . vu-.. 274. 

This hshery begins with tlie ivtnrii of the sun. alx.iit the '7-'' '"f"' 




3R-Ki».rn.l ICK FISIIINC;. "283 

Isr of Fcliruai-y. ami .■(.ntiimcs when riir ii-c is lavoralilc inilil the season 
issofaiadvaiR-cil rlial llic ice has Ik-iiii to incll ami Im-.-oiiic roltrn. 'I'lir 
tisli aiv .-spocially t.. l.r loinnl in plarrs wliciv IIhto is a -oo,l si/,,-,| 

tiold of til.- season's ice. :; or 1 f.M't tliirlv, in.-l,.s,.l liy hnnn -l^s. ami 

tlH'ysoMictiinos.ic-ni- in very -ivat nnnil.rrs. in 1 SS- ili.av u as a iai-v 
ti(.l<l ottliis kind alioul L' miles IV(,m lli.' villa-v ami llir lisliin- was 
can-icl on with .uioat sm-crss. hut in iss;i ih,. i,-c was so much l.n.ki-n 
that the (isli wciv vriA scarrr. S,,mc lads .■au-hl a lew early in the 
season, l.ut the fisheiy was soon aliandoned. 

A hole ahout a foot in diametei- is made tliron^h ilie iee with an iee 
piek. and the tVa-ments dipiied onl either with the Ion- handled whah- 
l.mie scoop, or the little dipi-er made of two pieces of antlef monnted 
on a hamlle abont 2 feet Ion-, which eNefy'.iody canies in the wintef. 
The line is unreeled and let down fhrou-h tlie hole till the ji-s han- 
a!)out a foot fnun the l...ttoin. The tishcrnian holds in his left hand the 
(lil)per above mentioned, with which he keeps t'ae hole clcMf of the ice 

crystals, whii-h form very .piickly. and in hi. riuht the reel which he 
jerkscontiuually 111. and down. The lisli. attia. 'ted l.y the whit, > ••Jiu.^ers.-- 
beiiin iiosinu- aroiin.l them, when the upward jerk of tli.' line hooks one 
of them in the under Jaw or th.' belly. .\s soon as the hshennan fe.'ls 
the tish. he cateiies a bi.i;ht of tile line with th.- s.-oop in his 1,-ft haml 
ami draws it o\.-r \« tin- left : th.-ii .-atelH-s tin- lim- b.-low this with tln- 
n-.-l ami draws it ov.-r t.. tin- ri-lit. and s,, on. thus re.-lin- tin- lim- ill. 
in h.ii.^ hanks on tli.-s,- tw.. sticks, without tom-hiui;- th.- w.-t lim- with 
his <in,n,-rs. 

When the tish is broii-htt,. tin- sitrfm-i- of th.- i.-.-.h.- is .l,-tach.-.l from 
th.- harhh-ss in.ok with a .h-xtroiisj.-rk. ami almost instantly fr.-ez.-s soli.l. 
Tlie .-lastii- whal.-b,.m- lim- is tlir..wii ..tf th.- sti.-k without kinking ami 
l.-t.lown a'.;aiii through th.- hoi.-. Wli.-ii tish ar.- ph-ntifiil.th.-y an- caught 
as fast as tht-y can b.- liauie.l up. soim-times ..tie on each •■Jigger." If 
th,- lisherman linds no tish at the tirst h,.h- he moves to aii,.th,-r part <.f 
tlie li,-hl ami tries again until he suc,-,-,-,ls in ••striking a, scli,.,.l." Tiie 
lish vary in abnmlam-,- ,.ii ,lilf.-r,-nt ,lays. b,-iiig som,-times so pl,-ntiful 
that 1 hav,- kiM.wii two or thr.-.- .-hihln-ii t,. .-atili a Imshol in a f.-w h.mrs, 
whil,- soim- days v.-ry f,-u an- to 1.,- taken. In a.hlirhui to the ix.lar 
c,.d. a f.-w s,-ulpin> -an- ais., .-aught. ami ...•.ashuially the two spe,-i,-s of 
Lv,-,.d,-s (L. turm-rii ami ,-..,-,-in,-us, wlii.-h voia.-u.iis lish sometiim-s s,-t/e 
th,. litth- polar .-..,1 struggling ,.n tlu- -.iigg.'r" ami are thus .-aught 
th,-nis,-lv.-s This hsh.-rv is ,-hi,-tlv .-arri.-.l -.n by the w..m,-ii, .-hihlren. 
ami ol.l in,'n. who u',. ,>iit in parti.-s ..f li\.- ..r six. th,>ugh th,- liunt(-rs 
soin,-tiin.-s -,. tishing wli.-ii th.-y hav.- nothing .ds.- to do. Tli,-r.- were 
g.-m-rally thirty or torty i..-..plc ..ut at th.- tishing gnmml .-v,-ry ,hiy u. 

.Iio...ers,.ffliis patt.-ni app.-ar t,. b.- us.-,l at I'ith-kaj. tr,.m >,mlemls- 
kiokl's (U-.scnptu.ii,' but 1 have seen n.. a,-,-,miit ,-i tlier there or e ls.- where 

'Vega, vol. 2. p. 11" 



284 



lisliiii- ill lliis .•(,M 



UMS .Mllcd a Hsliiii- hii.' 
I-'islilio..ks of the kind <lrs, 
siTvcs lor a liiiv. aiiiKMJ wi 



Mr. Nelson and 



UAUKOW F.SKIMO. 

^ up the lint- sucli as we saw at Point 
art' \«i y coinnioii among the Eskimo 
iitcrial is iirclcrable to any otlier for 
iiol only docs tlM' clastie wlialelxnie 
liii'h loriiis instantly on the wet line 
nt can easily l.c shaken off. Xo. r,i;r>-ir, 
es Ion- and (l-<l.-, incli in .liametcr. made 
a round hraid witli four strands. Tins 
was the only one of the kind seen. 
. witli a liody of bone or ivory, which 
qinror \>c\\t hook of metal, withont a 
■vailin.u type amon.iist the Kskimo. In tlu- 
h1 (as shown by the extensive collections of 
is is often converte.l into an elaborate lure by 
i-ads, bits of the red beak of the ],uf(in. etc. 
custoiu in (hvenlaml of baitin.u' a hook with 



Xets {Kiihnt).—'nw most important lishery at the rivers is cari'ied on 
by means of uill-nets. set under the ice, and \isiteil excry few days, lu 
these ar.' taken lar,-e nnndiers of all three species of whitefish (Oore- 
j;dnus keuicolii. C nelsoni. and (.'. lauicltaM The collection contains 
three specimens of these lu'ts, two of whalebone and one of sinew. Xo. 



il deep, made of line 
strips of whaleboiK. fast- 
ened too-ether as in tlie 
uhalebone fishing lines. 
^^>st of the whalebone is 
K'k, but a few light c.,1- 
■d striiis are intermixed 
raiulom. The length 
the mesli is 3^ inelies, 
d the knot used in mak- 
I «ii;,i.i...,„ M.I ing them is the (mliiiary 

n.'tting-knot. When not 
nil into a comi.act ball and tied n|i with a bit 
this net is 21 feet 7 inches hing and 3 feet 4 
!■ whalebone net (No. ."".(iT.IS (17l!|, also from 
lo this, but slightly larger, being ST meshes (25 
ngth of mesh is 3^ inches. 

I, ;in<l at tho Eml tacked together." 
ikn.p. US; anil tbo Museum CoUec- 
ainl Anderson rivers, collected by 

iL-iid. or a bit of red clotb " (when 




of String. When 
inches .leep. Tlie 
l-tkiavwln), issim 
feet) long and 22 (.' 



■s) d^ 



^^-"^^- 



MURD.UH.] ^,j,y^^ 285 

Fiji. -7(1 (Unit „f wch) is a nrl (N.,. 5(i7r>L' j 171 | [u,m ilir s;iiiic \ illajjc) 
of tlic sain.' nifsli an.l depth, hut I'SI mi^slics -^^^ . 
((i(( IV'ct) Ion- aiHl mad.' of twisted sinew k ^^ 
twiiM'. X^ 
I had no oiilMiltlinitv of seeini; the nietliod of ■•'■'^■v 
setting tlies.' nets under the ice, but it is proha- 
1)l,vthesanieastliat used in set tilli;- tin' seal nets. 
Wlien in eaiup at I'.Tiiyn in tlu- suiniu.'f. the ''"'■''■ m-I' "i-^i'"" "■ e 
liativ.-s set tliese nets in llie slioal water of I'llson I'.ay. at rij;lit angles 
to the l,ea<-li. witii a stake at eaeli end of tin' net. 'I'hey ale set l.y a 
man in a kayak, and in them aiv .yilled eonsideral)le numheis of w iiite- 
lish, two species of salmon (Oneoihynehus .uoi'hnseha and O. nefka) 
iml ilioK isiond tioiit Sd\<linus malma). They take t hese nets east 
with tlnm on thui snmim i ( \im ditions, hut w.'<lid n.it learn tlu' method 
ot UMU^ thtm It this s, is,,n Tdliaps they ave sometinu's used foi- 
st miii^ on tlie 1m i(h, is riiomis Simpson says tliat the {''-skimo at 
Il.is.hd Isluid (pioliibh knninudlin) sold his party -some line sal- 
mon tioiit tiktli in 1 s . t \\h ihlMine. which tliey dia--ed asliore 

\>\ 111. ins .>t s, \,iil si. ml. I p.il. -, si.lic.'.l toji.'th.-r to a .m-.'at h'li-th.""' 

An rtkiavwih nativ.' tol.l 



at .>!■ near tli.' mouth of the 
('i>lvill.'. in ISSL', tliat h.' fed 
his .h)i;s with tlu'iii. 

Fi.o. 1.'77 is a p.'.'iiliar net 
orlish-tni]. (N... .-.tl7.V. [1!)0]) 
ti'oiii rtkiavwifi. th.' only 

It is a.'.>ni.'al. wi.h' iiH.uthe.l 
ha.u, s te.'t4 in.'h.'s I,,!!- an.l 
:,}. h'.'t wi.h' at th.' m..uth. 

in.'sh. This was hrou-ht 
..v.'rf.ir sale at an early .hit.'. 

.piaint.'.l with th.' natives, 
an.l w.' ..nly learn.'.l that it 
was set permaii.'ntly for 
eat.'hing' tisli. rnfortunate- 
ly. ^^■e n.'ver saw another 
spe.'im.'ii. an.l thnm-h the 
pr.'ss of ..th.-r .Inti.'s n.'V.'r 
haniK'ue.l to mak.' furth.'r 




Fli4.-J77.-Fi>.! 



•J»tj 



^KIMO 



j„,|„iii.-s iil.out ir. FioM, ils si, ;,)..■ it would app.-ar as it it w.-it- meant 
Id I).- sfl ill a stream willi the iiKnith lowanls tlie ciuTeiit. Tliis ctm- 
iiivam-.'iscalleil sapoliii. whi.'li cm icsim.ikIs to the Greeiilaiidie saputit, 
a .lam lor .•atcliiii- (isli. 

From all aecounts, the natives easi of the Anderson River rc.nioii were 
iiiiioraiil of the use oIIIh' ik'I before they mach- the acquaintance of the 
whiles.' Ihouuli tliev now usi' it in se\-cral |ihices, as in Greenland and 
Labrador. Tlieeailicst e\])lorcasoH the northwest coast, however, found 
holh lish anil si^al mis in use thon-h.as I iiave already ineiitione<l, the 
.seal ii.'t was spoken of at Point liinrow as a i-omparatively recent in- 
vention. .\f tlnMin'sent ilav, nets are nsed all alon- the coast 
from I he Ma.'ken/ie and Anderson ri vrs (see :\larFarlaneV Col- 
lection i as far south at least as (he Yukon delta.- I Imve not 
been able |o learn whether -ill nets are used in the delta of the 
Kuskoquim. l'ctroff= mentions lish trajjs and di}) nets merely. 
That the natives of Ivadiak formerly had no nets 1 infer from 
I'etroffs statcnu'iit ' tliat --of late they ha ve lie.^iin to use seines 
of whale sinew."" Nets are .uciierally nse<roii the Siberian 
coast. We observeil them oniselves at I'lover l!ay, and Nor- 
deiiskiold'' describes the nets nsed at I'itlekaj, which are made 
of sinew thread. It is almost certain that the Ameriean Eskimo 
learned the use of the net from the Siberians, as they did the 
habit of sinokin.y. since the use of the gill net a])pears to have 
been limited to prei-isely the same rei;ioii as the Siberian form 
.,f tobacco i.ii.e.« 

,S'^„v„x_Theonlyevi^ 
for eatehinj;- lish in this 
11-7], Fig. -7S, iron, r 
carelesslyn,a,le for .sale 
ing lish. This has a r 
iiiclii's long, arn,c,l at ( 

^ -, Il,c shaft, which is, ait ill 

abiMit Flinches ha,-. lOachproi 

w leii treenails, ami they are 

sinew through holes in the side]: 
side prongs are somewhat elastii 



Icm-,. 


vhici, we have of the use of spears 


regi( 


n is a single specimen. No. S'.MIOI 


kiaw 


il",. whii'h was newly and ratiier 


but il 


tianled. as we were told, for spear- 


mghl> 


- whittled shaft, of spruce, L'U 


neem 


with three prongs. The middle 


F'< iiK 


hes long, inserted into the tip of 


to a si 


ort neck and whipped with sinew. 


ifbm 


<•. !> inches hnig. Through the tip 


slem 


er slightly reiairved simrofbone. 


g is fi 


stened to the shaft with two small 


iracc. 


with a tigiire-of-eight lashing of 


■ongs 


ind around the middle one. The 


, so tl 


at when the sjiear is struck down 


.,,■1. nrt 


11"! smi at I'.iiiil JJaiTow, lor catfhiiig ia|)liu 


aiM, r 


ai.t,, v.il. 1, ,,. 95. John Davis, however, says 


st..t,,l,. 


ih.ai lis,, ..Ithoauneof .a whale." Hakluvt's 



MUM)..™,) vuyr woHKiNTi. 2.S7 

on tlic hack <ifa Hsh rliry spri,,- apart and all.iw tlir mi, I, II.' proi,- t,, 
pierce biiii, and tluMi spiin- Lack so thai the spurs cit lici' catch in^his 
sides or meet below liis lidiy. piviiscly on I he piiiiciplc of the '• iiali'iil 
eel si>ea.r."' Tiiis imiilciacnt is almost id.aitical with one in Ihc National 
Miiseiiiii trom Hnds.,n Kay, wliicli appeals to he in -cncial use amon- 
tlK' eastei-n Eskimo.' 'I'hc name, kaki'hna. is \ciy ncail\ the same as 
that itseij hy the easteiii tiatives , k^ikkm Wei. l'aiT\. and kaki\ak. 
Kitiidi.m:. This speai is admiiahly a.laptcd lof .•alch'in;; iaf^^e li>l, in 

eaiiylit hy dams in tidal sh'eams in the maiinef <lescvil)ed h\ I'lo,.,],. ami 
Crantz. There is so little tide, howevca, on the tioith west coast. I hat 
tills metliod of tisliin- can not be piacti.'cd. and, as far as I know. I here 
is no locality in the ran.^c of the Point Barrow natives, a icuion of open 
shoal lieaehes, and livefs free of rocks, wheie this sjiear could be used 
in which a net wonhl not serve the i.iirpose much better. 'I'akini; into 
consideration the scarcitv of these speaisaiid the u.aieral use of nets, I 
am inclined to believe that this spear is an ancient weaiMiii. loinicrl\ in 
^iXMieral use. but driven our of fashion by the inlrndnction of nets. 

I'LINT WdllKIXil. 
These people still retain the art of makin;; ilint arrow and spear- 
hereafter described. Man\- of the tlint arrowheads ami spear points al- 
ready described were made at Xiiwiik or rtkiaxwifi especially for sale 
to us and are as tinely formed and neatly linished as any of the ancient 
ones. The tlints, in many cases water-worn pebbles, apjiear to have 
been s|.lintereil by peiviission into fraiiiiicnts of suitable sizes, and these 

ment consist iiii^df a short, si rai-ht rod of some hard material iiHainted 

in a short curv.Ml halt. We .-olh.cted ni f tlu'se tools (ki'-li) of 

which two have no blades. No. SDi'iL' IlL'L'.;] li-un-.l in ['.lint Harrow 
Report, Kthnoh.-y. I'l. lll. Ki-. 7, has b.M.n selected as the type. The 
handle is of walrus ivory, 7-S inches Ion- strai-ht and nearly cylin- 
drical for about 4.^ inches, then bendiii- down like a saw handle ami 
spread out into a spatnlat.- butt. iMtted into a dei'p groove on the top 
of the handle so that its tip projects 1-S in.-hes beyond the tip of the 
latter is a slender four sided rod of whale's iMme. 4-7 in.'hes Ion- This 
is liold in idac-.- by t«o simple lashin-s. one of cotton twine and the 
other of seal tlion- The Hint to be llak<-d is hehl in tli<> left hand and 



Onlbog, lialiial<, •.■ii !,>>, 
ably the same tliinji, Jiiid 
Bay. A .similar wi'aiiiiii, 



■_\SS 



;AKKU\V ESKIMO 



llcsli\ ji:iit (if tlio palm wbicli serves as a cushion 
wfariim a tliiik dcei-skiu luittcu. The tool is flrmly 
(1 ill tlic riulit hand with the thumb ou top of the 
I- the pi.iut stcailily on tlie ed.uc of the flint, flakes 

>[■ the .Ifsiivd s\/.v arc made to fly olV Ir tlic under surface. 

These tools var.\ little in i.attern. but are made of ditteient materials. 



ispcd ucll f.i 
de and by |>i 




Hard lioneai.peais to 
as three out of tiie si 
(Xo. SilL'dS [7ill)| from 
hut only 2 inches lo 



heeii the commonest material for the blade, 
ilades arc of this substance. One sjiecimen 

Xo. SIILMU [KMll] also from I'tkiavwiu, Fifi'. 
l.'T!t«, has a short blade of black flint flaked into a four-sided rod U 
inches lonj;. This is held in place by a whipping of stout seal thoug 
ti<;liteneil bv thrustinj;- a sidinter of wood in at the back of the groove, 
mens (Xos. ,S',)i.'(i(l[704] Fifi-.L'7i»/> and SOl-'in [1210] 
tkiavwlil) have blades of the ]ieculiarXuusuknan 
(reviously descrilied. Each is an olflonj;- pebble 
wedded into the yroove and secured by a Iashin,t;- as usual. 
No. s!L'iJ(tl7'.Mj lias a halt .,f anth-r. This is rather the com- 
monest material for the haft. Two specimens have hafts of 
ee of fossil ivory. The lenj;th of the haft 
m (; to' s inehes. of the blade l-.") to 4-7 inches. Fiji'. 2S(» 
(Xo.SKLMi.-. |!(7'.l| fr(miNuwuk)isthe haft of one of these tools, 
ivory, yellow from aye and staiiu-d brown in 
h shows the way in which the groove for the 
\arcil, namely. byboriugaseriesofltirgeround 
[ ; |l lioles aiidciiitiii.u away the material between them. There- 
in. ; A mains of the holes are still to be seen in the bottom of the 
(■?' \ ■% L'loovc. The tip of this haft has been roughly carved into a 
with the eyes and nostrils incised and fllled with 
black din. and the eyes, nostrils, and mouth of a human 
01 tiiin ii.ik,-,. face have bi-rn rudely incised on the under side of the butt 
and al-o blackened. All this carving is new and was done with the 
\ir\\ of iiicivasing tlic market vahic of the object. The original orna- 
mentation consists of an iiicis.'d pattern on the ui>per surface of the 
but I. colored with red oclier which has turned l)lack from age and dirt. 




Fig. 2S1 (No. 81I7SL' [KMU.]) is one ,.r 
■svith a haft of leiiiducr antlrr and a Im 
cured by a wliii)])iii<i- of seal tluiiii; w 
with the "kit" of tools owned hy the 
five, Ilu'bw'pi. 'Sir. Nelson rollcctcd 
specimens of this tool at various points i 
west coast from Point IIojic as far son 
Bay, but I can tind no cxidcncf of its u 

FIKF, MAk-i.\(;. 

/;,v7/.s-.— [n fonuei- times fiic was ol.t 
method comimiu to so many savages, t 
develo])ed hy the ft-ictioii of the end of a 
like a drill against a ])ieee of soft woi 
stniinent was still in use at least as late 

appears to have 1 n wholly ahaudoi 

Bamnv at the time of the I'lorrrS visit 
in nse at Kotzehiie S(uind.-' 

A native of Nuwuk one day hrou.yht ( 
what he said was an e\aef model of the a 
Xo.SD.SL'i' I losdj. Fi-L'si.'. ThedriU isa sti 
likethesjiattofa.-ommonpertoratinii- 




<¥ 



? 



l-'iu, JSJ.-Fin arill wUb muullii.i.i^- .n],l »t..rk. 

]»oint. This is worked l>.\a striuo-, without bow or handles, consistino- 
of a strip of the skin of the bearded seal, 40 inches hui.u'. ami has for a 
montlipieee the astra.-alus hone of a reindeer, the natural hollow on one 
side servin- as a so.'ket for the hutt of the drilh' The point of the drill 



iiIiaruNnrilrnskiiildst 

Imn.^forasockrt. li.-l. 

9 KTH 19 



9<)n 'Illi: I'l'lNl' BAHIJOW 



is ,nmlc to work aj^Miiist tl,.' s,,lit su,n,.M. of a sti.-k ofspruro IS inches 
Ion-, alon- the middle of widcii is cut a -ash. to -ivc the drill a start. 
Thrc.. c,,uidistant ci.H.lar pits, charrc.l and Llark.-i,..!, were l.orcd out 
l,v the tip of the drill, whi.-h <leveloi.ed heat eiiou-h to set lire to the 
sawdust produce.1. Tinder was probably nsed to catch and Imld the 

Most authors who have treated ot the Kskinio have described an 
iMsiruiueiit of this sort in use eitlier in tbruier times or at the present 

.lav.' 

Amou- most i'.skimo, however, a bow is used to work the drill. The 
oidv exei'ptious (o this rule apjicars to have been theancieut (ireenland- 
ers and lhepeo]ile of Hudson I!ay (see the i)assages from Hakluyt, 
Craul/.. and ICllis, just ([uoted.) Ohamisso, however,^ speaks of seeing 
the Aleutians at Tnalaska produce tire by means of a stick worked by 
a sirinu- nuddn^- two turns about the stick and held and drawn with 
tioth hands, with the upper end of the stick turning in a piece of wood 
held in the month. When a piece of fir was turned against another piece 
of the same wood tire was often produced i u a few seconds. This passage 
ai>iiears to have escaped the usually keen observation of Mr. W. H. 
Dall. who. sjx'akin.u' of the ancient Aleutians, says: " The 'flddle-bow 
drill' was an instrumi'nt largely used in their carving and working bone 
anil i\<)ry; but for obtaining tire but two pieces of quarz were struck 
together," etc.^ 

drill used at Smith Sound witli a bow and 

is mfinncr ; he took a piece 
n Tand stirko liko unto a 
!i .1 ].:> > r „r Ifther, by bis 

• 11, . ! ,1,, ,, ,l,o,i l;ln,k..l .111 111 li.c n,M.imlnrI,tI„-yrMl.;,l,..ll„ I Cl.'.r,,! li;,r,l Wood, till by tho 

li ; , ! ;. _.n - Mill il, ..ml ,11 II _. uid a stick ver.v quick with a string 

II,,,. ij' ,, ! .■:. .'I I 1 1 .■ I ' ■ M ■: : (... . i.i 'ImI, vol. 1, p. 145. 

Ia..ii .1 il p Jl"i -.i\ - ili.ii .1 IJ .: ! I'll! ..M M .ihl. 1" |.i..c-ure "flre by the friction of apin of 

„- I 111 111. I I'll. I.I .niiiili' I I I .mil |iii --111 iliiwii like a diill from above." This wa.s worked with a 

Itnw .mil w illiiu i.itkiii- \Mii II III liii tiiiilij. A man informed them that "he had learned it from his 
failii 1 i.iiti. 1 iiii iiiiiii'i 111- lit 111 III lilt inility : the two lumps of iron pyrites certainly answering the 

"They haxf a \ ii\ .lixir-ni^ \I.i Ii.iil .if kindlinj; Fire; in order to which, they prepare two small 
Vioeesof dry W..n.l uhi. h haviir.; mail. Il.it. t hey next make a. small Hole in each, and having fitted into 

llu'S!' Holes a litil'-' \liii'li I' iiM'l' ' r..l" w [,i.. which a Thong is fastened, they whirl it about thereby 

with such a V. 1.1 ■ -i ii. ■ i ''•. I'i.ces of Wood one against the other, this Motion soon sets 

them on tin-.' I ^ n iv, p. 2:i4. 

A picture. .1 1 . 1' I ii.ige 132, in which a man holds the socket, while a woman 

works the til. .im l; ly. nc.-ir Chesterfield Inlet). 

Itaealsom. 1,1. I . i . i In im. i.--ion in 1847 (Niirrative, p. 187) i and there is a 

H|K'cinien in tli. 1 i i i. I 1. ^l i. larl.ane, and said to be the kind "in use until 

lately" in tli. M -i .i 

Dall tigur.^ : ! ! ■ ■ i,,,,, in in, ily in us,- at Norton Sound (Ala.ska. p. 142) ; 

and Hooper (Tents. ,.i.- ,. , , : , ,1 : ,i PL, , , I;,, 

From Nordenskiold S.I. .. ..._:. , ,, i.,. 



*CoDlribution to N. 



•IJes.sel8, Katiu 


:.alist, \ 


■01.18, pt..n.i 


1.K07, spe.iks of a fire drill us( 


mouthpiece of i 


vory. 






A f.rcenlander 


i.scenl 


,y John Davis 


.inl.W, "bcganuetokindlea 
tlii.nnv: into that ho puts tin 
li.iiiii. and in fashion of a tii 
•ilii.i li,v."-HakluyfsVoy;,., 



ni;i; making 



L>91 



1 li:i(l no oipporruniry <iC sccin- this diill nianipiilnlc.l. l.m I Imv vnn 
vin.-cdniysriniy..xiMTin,rnl tlut the sti<-K or •• li-lil sl,„-k," I,, us.- N,,,-. 

kiH'cIih-oi, tlH'.,tli.TkiH.... '■ '" " 

Flint m„l sfnI.-Vm' is usually „l,tainr,l uowa.lays l,y stiikiii- a 
spaik ill til.' oidiuaiy uirtii.,,! fmni a hit olllint witli a steel, iisiialPv a 
hit ufsnuw wliit.' mail's t.MiL I'.oth aiv eanied, as in I >r. Simpsiurs t iiiie 
ill a little ha.- sluii- ai„uii,l tli,. iie,.k, al.Hi- with some tin.ler mad., ot 
tiic down of willow <-atkiiis mixed with diairoal or perliaiis <;iiiipowd..|'. 

The flints usually caffied for lij;htiii,i: the pipe, tli. lyoues 1 have s.^en, 

arc very small, and only a tiny fragment of tinder is liol,(,,,i which is 
placed on the tohacco. Lii.-ifer matelu's (klliaksa-au) were eai^crly 
he,L;,-e.l. hut they did Hot appear to care eiHiii-li for them to piiirhase 
them. Our fn.mdXikawaalu. from w ii we ohtained much information 

used to .u'ct •■■;i-eat fire" l)y strikin.^' to!;-etlier t wo pieces of iron pyrites. 
i>r. Simpson speaks^)f two lumps of iron pyrites bein- used forstrikin- 
lire, hut he does not make it <-lear whether he saw this at I'oinf P.arr.w 
or only at Kot/.c'hue Sound. Iron pyrites apjiears to have heen u.sed 

((iiite -enerally a ii,'i the Kskimo. I'.i-ssels saw it useil with (piartz 

at Smith SoiuhI. with w illow catkins for tinder' and Lyon mentions the 

kind <pf tiiMler, at l-liilik.' Willow .-atkins are al,- 
used for tinder at the Coppermiuc K'iver.' 

No. SKSL'.-, |Ii;;;iaiid 17l'1'| are some of the catki 
used for niakin- the tinder, wliudi were -athered 
c.,iisiderahl.. ipiantitiesat the rivers. They are <-alled 

say •■, ■atkins" or "pirssy willows." 

/w//<//n/-/,v.— I'roiii the same place they also hr.m-ht 

I le billow twi.us,!! inches Ion- and tied with sinews 

into hunches or la-ots of ahoiif a. dozen or a (hizen 
and a ha Ifea.'h, which they said were listed for kindling- 
(ires. (No. S'.ISi'4 |I7l.'.-,|.) 

Hon- ,ni,l-,trn>ir mnkliuj.^X comidete set of how"- >3 
and arrow tools consists of I pieces. \i/. : a iii; 
s|)ike, two twisters, and a feather si'tter, as sho 
l''i-. lis;;. No. SIMtl.") yMVl\, from i'tkiavwin. The ■■•..i .im.u t....i». 
pieces of this .set are p.^rforated and strung on a piece of sinew hniid, 
4 iiielies long, with a knot at ea<di end. 

The Mitrlincsplkr.—Thi^ is a tiat, four-sidi'd rod of walrus ivory, 5-G 

'Ciiiuparothi.s with Dr. Simps,, ns sl^il.-imiil, quottil :ibiivi', Uiiit .stoui-s l„r arrowheads were hrought 
by thr Nuiiatafmiiuu from tin- ivii wiik Ki\er. 
'Op. cit., p. 243. 

' Naturalist, vol. 18, pt. 0, ]». 8(17. 
^Journal, pp. 'JIO and 231. 
•Franklin, First Expert., vol. '2, p. IKK. 



'•' \\ 




' how- 



292 



I'OIXT UAKKUW KSKIMO. 



inclu's loim. tapcrin- \<> :> sliMip roimded point at one end, and taperexl 
sli"-litlv tirHic (itlii r. wliich rciininates in a small nnuidcd knob. It is 
very neatly mad.' trom. latliiT old yellow ivory, and oinanieuted on all 
four faces witli convcnlional incised patterns colored with red ochre. 

Tills iinplenient is used in puttinji;- on the backing of a bow to raise 
parts of tl.e cord when an end isto be passed nn,l.-randintueldngin the 
ends in linishinj;- otf a Nvi,ippi...U. It was probably also used in pnttmg 
wliippinos or seizings on any otbe,' unpl.an.aits. We ••olleeted Klof these 
tools all .piite similar, and made of walrus ivory, yellow from age and 
handling. Thev vary in length from ih to C im-hes, and are always 
corilraehMl at the upp<'r end into a sort of neck or handle, surmounted 
by a knob or crossbar. No. SlUi;:! \s:\t;\ Fig. 2S4, from ITtkiavwin has 




the crossbar carved very neatly into the figure of an Amphipod crus- 
tacean without the legs. The eyes, mouth, and vent are indicated 
by small round holes lilled with some black substance, and there i.s a 
row of eight similar lioles down the middle of the back. The tip of thi.s 
tool, which is .5-9 inches long, has l)een concaved to an edge so as to 
make a feather-.setter of it. Through the kuob at the butt there is some- 




Fl0r.2)j5.— Mai 



lukti. 



last tigured, 

incised line> 

The ticM> 



■ound .'ye, as in Fig. I'S.") (No. 894G4 [8-12] from Utkiavwm, 
g). These tools are sometimes plain, hke the specimeus 
nd sometinu's ornamented with conventional ]iatterus of 
■oloied witli red ocher, like the others. 
(Xo. S!(4t;.". |!M)2]) are flat lour-sidcd rods of walrus ivory, 



respectively 4-4 and 4-7 inches long. At each end one broad face is 
raised into a low transverse ridge about 0-1 inch high and the other 
rounded off, with the ridge on o])]iosite faces at the two ends. They 
are ornamented on all four faces w ith longitudimd incised lines, c(dored 
with red ocher. 

The use of these tools, which was discovered by actual experiment 
after (mr return to this country' is for twisting the strands of the sinew 
backing after it lias been put on the l)ow into the cables already de- 



Eakimo bow.s. Smitlisouian Report for 1 




[•J-tilj IV I'tkiavwifii. Tlics,. arc .V 4 iurlics Ion-, ih'atly hkhI.^ and 

,,nilr .■lean. All th.' ofJHTS show si-ns of a.^c and nsc. 

Tiicrcan' laruv ntind.cis of tli.'sc tools in llir National Musruni iVoiu 
various points '"in the rrui.ni ula-rrhows ,,f the Ar.-ti.' t,v|.r ar.. used, 
naniclv. IVoni the Anderson Uivrr to Norton Sound, an.l onr tVoiu St. 
Lawrc'n.T Island, w l,rn,T w ha vr rc.-civd no tu istcd Lows. Th.-ir us.. 

was In.w.'vcr. not di'hnilclv niidnst 1, as Iliry arc d.'scrihrd siniidy 

as "l-.w tools," "l-ou strin- twisters" orrvrn -arrow polislnas." yh: 

lor playinu- a .uanic as at Point liariow. Imt tlnit the natives told liirn 
that th'ev wertMornierly use.l for ti-litenin- fli.^ haekin- on a how and 
also Tor lwistin;;tlie iiard-laid sinew conl, which isipiitcas nuu-h.ifnot 
nu.re. nse.l at Norton Sound as the hraid so conunon at i'oint Harrow. 
1 liiHl I icntion of til... use of tiiis tool in any of tlu' auth.u-s who have 



iit.'.l of the KskiiMo. <■> 
iv. .•olU'ct.-d at Kot/.l 
i„„. hows— k.'-i l-tak 



I'liINT l!Ai;i;o\V ESKIMO. 



AlK 



ialnis ivory is tiir ((iiiiiikhi inat.Tial clsrw iiciv. I lir nam.- ( kapiiti;) 
iK-aiis siiiiplv a ••tuistci." 

.,,1 .,f walrus ivory. 7 inciics ion-. \vit], iW tip alHU|)t]y ,-on,'avr,l to a 
liiiiromiilcil ciluc Tlic laces aiv oriiaiiii'iitcd wirii a pattern of strai.i;lit 
Meis.Ml Hues, coloreil witli red oc-lier. This tool is used for squeezinj;- 
he small ends ofth.' teatlieriii- int.. tlie w 1 of the arrow shaft (dose. 



- ^^^^mm 



to the noek. !• i-. JS7 is a similar tool (No. S'.t4S(; 1 1L'S.-,| from rtkiavwiu) 
alsoofualrus ivory. 11 iu<-lies I<ni,-. w ith the upper end I'ou-ldy whittled 
to a shar|i point. It is inohahly made of a broken seal indieator or 
m.'al eaehe markei-. Several othei' i\ory tools previously inentiou<'d 
ha\f lieeu eoiieaved to an <Ml;i<> at the tip so that they can l.e nsed as 
feather setters. I do not tind this tool mentioned hy previous observers, 
nor have I seen any spe.'imens in the National Museum. 

l'"ig. 288 (No. 8'.it.V.( 1 1282] from L'tkiavwih) reiiresents an unusual 



' ^gj^ju^ '^^l i^ 



6 

I.— Tudl 



tool, the use of whieh was not ascertained in the Lurry of trade. It 
has a point like that of a Rraver, and is made of reindeer antler, orna- 
inented with a jiattiaii of incised lines and bands, colored with red 
ocher, and was perhaps a marline spike for working with sinew cord. 



IN-Wi 



:iN( 



Scniptrx ((7.)00.—I''or removing bitsof Hesh, fat, etc., from a "green" 
skin, and for "breaking the grain" and removing the subcutaneous tis- 
sue from a dried skin, the women, who appear to do most if not all 
of this work, use a tool consisting of a blunt stone blade, numnted in 
a .short, thick haft of wood or ivory, iittin- exactly to the inside of the 
hand and having hoh's or lioHows to receive the tips of the tin-ers and 
thuiid.. 'I'he skin is laid up..n the thi-h and thoroughly scraped with 



SKIN sci;a 



21)5 



tills tool will, h i>_i i>|.. (1 Inn 
the wollu 1 llils tool 1. i1m, 1 
bi(oiiu stittiiicd tumi litiiu w 
1)0 less ottiii used toi su( li ]mi 

W. ol.t lllKll ( l„llt(. II sll, li 
llllllioullhd l.lld(s I \,|\ W 
tlK\ 11. ill Ot tin sllll. ^, 11. I 
t.llK I OUI (llttLH lit t.HMIs 111 

SdlOS (()llt(t((l ill lllo.llll. It 
V»)l { |<»~)".| Wliull Illl\ 1). . 
t\lM lil( l)ll(l( IS Ot I.IOU 

1 itll.I (Olls.h tllKcl, 1 I 111 
It Is U.(U<(1 Willi 111... s III 
1 ll. .|. slut 111 til. 
Wlll.ll isol tos.lllMiP 
tlolll lllIKlllIU ill< 

wlll.ll th. tllllllll) l.s 



l';skilM,l. 

aii.l Iwo 
. \Vliil.> 
.■:.! ill iU-- 
.m1 ill the 

L'S!), No. 




.1 to ic(t i\i tlu 



li-litly cx- 
i.'iil round 



tlu llUl.llL', lis Vz 

_ \\\ \.llllW..l ^^ 
It Sl.l. Ullllst 

Is slulirh tlitr.Mi.'.l, and til.' li-lit 

„ liiid iiid touith tiiij;crs. wlii.li an 

uiid.i 111. lobe, tliLU tips pussiii^ i^ainst th.' .-.ni. av.^ iinder siuface 
ol tiie 1 ittd llu foK iiid middle tmgers rest uiioii the upp.'i- surface. 
^o SM5J0 11171] hoin I lkii\ win, without a blade, is ot the same 
giud ll pittdii but IS sli„htl\ (\( ivated ou the left as well as tli.' 
u-iht side so as to 111 ilvi I soit ot sh mk. It is of fossil ivory, stained 
a diii};\ Ol lu^t horn ut iiHKieise The two incised .inlcs and dots 

.. il 4 .. . , I..^« +/. fl.r ^1..* Iil'llrii fllA Mill of fill' 1i;11I|11p lliok 



, , _ dots 

lose to the slot make the end of the handle look 
whuh it is perliaps meant to represent. 



on tlu ujipci su 

like the h( idol 1 1 oiihius, whuh it is perliaps meant to represent 

No V) 5J1 (^")M in old fossil ivoi\ h iiidle, has the left side slightly hoi 

11 f,, I,, - '" ' "■■ +'.""'l' •■•■•1 I iiwwliin 1.-pp1 nil t.hf nnnp- 

surf ue With 



... tlp.>l th. tl 
11. 1\ p<l(.l)tl 



of tin fm^t IS Ihis 
Ir J'KHNo s'»,17 IT 






J 



dian keel on the upper 
U hollow on ea.h side .)f it for the tips 
iiw 11. 1 the si'coii.l subtyjie as shown in 
I Iki ii'w-in, which has n.i l.lad.'). This 
is of fossil iv.>iT, 
thi.'ker and more 
strongly ar.'he.l 
than the type de- 
scribe.l. .Ic^ily ex- 
cavat.'.l bel.>wsoas 
tolorma lir.iadlobe 
at the butt, with 
the iijipcr surface 
deeply grooved to 
'■■•■^^"'^ ....,.,.,.-,.„„„.. ,. ^_^^.^^^ ^j^^_ ^.^^^ ^^^ 

the ton. and mi.l.lh- nn::.Ts. and a slight li.dlow .m th.- h'tt sl.l.. tor the 
tliiimli. Thisspe.Mii.e..isv..,yii.-atlyn>ad..an.lp..lisli...l.andalltheedges 
.„•,. roiiiide.l off ()iicdiairottli..liandl.-l..ngthwise)an.Itli.MUit.M-quar- 
ter .If tlu. other half are stained with ag.. ami grease a beautifiil amber 




■_>!i(; 


'I'lli: foIXT 1!A1 


\{^^\\• ESKIMO. 


l.iDWii. Tliis siM^ciiiitMi was said to 


lie as old as tlii^ tiiiic when m(?n 


\\ (III llllt OIK 1 llll 1 1 

'lli< oiiU ( -s, iitial ihlU i( ii(» \»'t\\ 


e. 11 tins sulit\iic and tlic jucicd 


<^'- ' I , 


iim is that tlic touiici 
liasdccj) jjiocncsoi liol 
lows till the thumb and 


^-*-— ^ two hll-ils. Wc col 


^ J ' .1 


f 1.1 ted tncsiic, linens of 


1 tliis],attcin,alllmtonc 




uith handles of hissil 

i\oi\ The sinjilc e\ 

J (1 ptioii, whii li 1 aine 


ij 


W '"^ 


/ lioiii Sidaiii hasaiiaii 
die ot wahus i\()i>, 
yellowed with age <iu(l 


Cl 


grease. This sjiecimeD 


1, .1 Mm ,,,|"ls 


(Fio. 1391 r/, No. s;).«2 


|lWi|) lias an iiimsiially sli..it hlaih 


(onl\ 4 mill loiu) ind is mm h 


cut out (III tlic rii^lit side so as to iii 


\ 1 1 suit ot link 1 1-, I'Wh (Xo 


S!):!l I !17S0|) is a. nearly new liaiidU 


ot tills p itt( ill, will h w IS bought 


(if til.' "Ni 
ill I.ss:;. 1 


natafiiiiiuii," who came to 
t is \cry liiglily oniaiiiciitt 


'llllMI .^-g,^ 

1 1-tii .^Tr. 



th incised iiattei US, coloiedlilaik mil b\ ."- ^X 

rviiii;- the s|iace between the nnnsinlh , J^'^'' "^^^ 

cptiiiinibliiillowand Ilidse lor tin fiiucis (^^"^ ^ 



'4 




de, . 

what seems to be meant fi 
hi.lih relief, eoloivd led ilisidi 

Tlie thud siibtspi has th. loll, s.pu It. d ' ■' ' -' ■■ m' 

from the bo(h on tin iiiilii sidi ouh 1, i\ ing the It It side uuextavated, 
excei.t ii\ the thumb hollow ,iv i. -.liouniiiFig J9J (No SO'^K. fI177| 



from I tUi 



h li 1- I li 



/f 



takes the place of ihe 

and rather limber tha 

Tlie last subtype « 1 



llowi (1 fossil now iinl I bl i(k 
tliiitblid( Ivo V»il()|1071j 
I v -"'• tiom Ftki u win is 
I 1 itJH I iiiiiisii il niodilu I 
tioii ot this inttoin, with I 

WOoddl IiIIkU. Ill whi.h 

tin liottoni is not i ut out 
The thumb groove is deep- 
ened into a large hole which 
opens iuto the excavation 
on the n^ht side, ^\hlle a 
1 IU( obloll„ slot oil top, 
o]HniiU into thest ciMties, 
1 liollows 111. bl id. w is(* .,ia\ tiiiit 

idiii^ tom\ it(_oIk( tiou IS the one most 



inuKUUCll.l SKIN SCRAP 

frequently seen in use ;it tlic incsci 
tally int<) ;i broad, Hat loi.c 'I'l 
continued through to tiir Iclt ii 
2!)4 (No. S<>;nr. \VM->:,\ from Sida: 
a luindleot Ti 
hollows lor tlic tl 

fingers; or tiie left side may / 

be unexcavated except lor / 

the thumb i;ioove as 



->()7 




th( s( ( Olid liii-,( 1 I In IK < nil 11 itv of this sprcimcii. liowi'vcr, is tliat it 

>l id( (.1 siiidstoiH II il iiid rarli.T tliin, Willi a sii tli, rounded 

(Ui III. iMli\(Ntol(l us tliil sciaiicr blades ot saudstoiie were tlie 

I 1^ J'l()(No Vt.lJ [1 .,1.1 hoiii I tkia.vwTu) is auotlicr wooden handle, 
III which tliee\ca\ation tor the third and 
^. torn til Ihijicrs is merely a lar,e round hole 
^ — Mk^ ^ ^ "II the ri.uht side, while ill tnuit (he liaii 

<ll. IS cilf into two short lobes, belweeu 
whn h ill a dec]. ,i;roove the torclin.uer 

4^' under the letl and one on llic ri,lit 

^^-— — ^ loi (he middle liii-er. No. .S!);!I 1 |l()7!l| 

"" "-''''' '■'1 ' tioni the same village is almost exactly 

MIllllll J Ik SI II. tlu oli]\ tuo sp.Minieiisor the kind which I reeoi- 

lutsMiiu \iith.i hui Hint bladed scraper with a wooden handle 

\(i\ mil. h tin slii|ii ot thitot No. Sli;;(»!) |ll;!.-,j is th.' tool most m'lier- 

ilh us. d It Ih. pi.s.ntdiN Ih.' Iliad. 's ar.' all of th.' s: general 

ship, iii.l \ ii\ 111 M/. Iioni th. little on.' aboNC iii.-utioiied (No. 81).jL'2 




298 TIIIC rolNT ISAKKUW ESKIMO. 

[imC], Fijj. 201(1), only t)-4 inch loiiff, to Wades like No. S!l(l]2 [S20], Fijj. 
2",)7, fronrutkiavwin. This is newly made from li.nlit .i;ray translucent 
Hint and is T) inelies lonj;-. Tlie name kibuEfu, applied to this specimen 
l)v (lie native tioiii wIhuii it \v;is punliascd, appears to refer either to 
the niateiial or ilic niiiisiial size. Tlic lilade is ordinarily called kuki, 
"a cImw." W iili ilie ivi'iy liandlcs a 1)!m(1c about 1 or IJ inches is com- 
\ used and with tlie wooden ones a, considerably 

I one,- to •"> inclies in lenjitli. The handles vary in 

II lit the iiands of tlie owners, Imt are all too small 

^ 'c'eollerted ;,rel„rtl,e n.uldjuni.l. .-^^"^^ 

I he iirevailinji' one from Point I'.ai'row to V 
Norl.in Sound, is evi.h'ntly the direct de- £ 
^(■cndiiiit of the form used still farthei 
soutli, wliicli consists of a stone or bon< 
, ; „ l,hid.- of the same shape, niouiiled on : 

■..,„>,„....,,„■, \vo,„hMi handle often afoot or IS inches i; | 

Ion-;, which has the other end bent down into a handle \: 
like the butt of a pistol. Bhortenin- tliis handle (a i.n.c- , ; 

ess shown by specimi-iis in tln^ Museum) would brinj; , j 

the worker's iiand nearer to the blade, thus enabling him 
to uuide it better. Let this jirocess be continued till the 
whole handle is short cnoni;h to be grasped in the hand 
and we have the first subtype described, of which the 
others are clearly iniiuovenients. 

A still more primitive tyjie of scraper is shown by Fig. 
20S, No. SiKir.l I lL.".t."il Croni rtkiavwiD, the only specimen 
of I he kind seen. This has a Hint blade, like those of 
till' UHiilerii scrapeis, inserted in the larger end of a 
stiai-ht halt of reindeer antler, T.A inches long. We did 
not learn llie history of this IimiI in the hurry of trade, 
hut I'rniii the sha|ieof the blaili' it is evidently a SCraper. 
Its use as a. skin scraper is renilered still more ])robable 
by the fact thai the scrapers used by some of the eastern no. 298.-Straight- 
Kskimo (there aie specimens in the Museum tioin Cum- liafters.raper. 
beiland Cuir and I'elly IJay) have straight handles, tlnmgh shorter 
than this. 

The Siberian natives use an entirely diftcrent form of scraper which 
hasahmg hanillc like that of a spoke shave with a small blade of stone 
or iron in the miihlle and is wmked with liolh hands.' Fig. 299 (No. 
.S94S.S [b"(7S| liiiiii I'tkiaxwin) is a tool which we never saw in use 
but which we were told was intended for scraping skins. It is prob- 
ably an obsolete tool, as a knifes would better serve the purpose of re- 

' Nunluuakiolil, Vt-ga, vol. 2, iqt. 122, and Fij;. 1, p. 117. 



j i 

\ 'i 



APKK CUI 
■. rtr.. win 



21)9 



Mr. N.'ls.Mi IV.mi 



nioviiij;- tlic siibcntaiiiMiiis tissii 

scribed arc hcttcr i\,v s(,lt,.|iiii.;- 111,. skin. 

It is tlic distal cud dl'tl caniKni" lioiic or iiictacai jial, cl' a icindccr, 

G-2ilic]ics Idii-. wifli the Iwoeoiidyl.'S liniiiiii- I lie liaudle. A 1 1 he oilier 

liiedullaiy cavity foi' alioiil L'A iin-hcs, lca\iiiu a sliaip eil^c on each 
Sid... The tip is rouj^hly l.roi:..,, ott; The tool appears ^^^.-..^^ 
to l)C(.l(ll.iit the two condyles liax-c he.ai reccnl ly car\cd (*/ Mi 
rudely into two human laces, one male (wilh marks lor \ ^ 
laluvts) and the othci- female. There is a somewhat \ 
similar tool in the .Museum hr 
Norton Sound. 

hluliher iVoni tlu' skins of seals or walius.'s when I hey | 

wish tosa\c the oil. they scaape if olt with a lillle ohlon- I 

ends. The cup. of <-onrse. <-aiclics Ihe oil u Inch is traus- m 

feri'cd to a dish, 'i'hese .-nps arc somi^timcs. I believe, l| 

also us.-il Idr dii)pin- <al. We coll,.cted (en ot these cups, || 
of which No. 89251 |ll.'s7j. Im,u. :'.()0((, will serve as th. 
type. This is :i-7 in<-hcs hm-. carMMl out of a sni-I- 

piece of walrus ivoi'>'. and worked down liom the inside ,*,. i 

to a sharp cd-.' on each end. The .-arviu- is snmothlv , W -I 

iU.ur on the outside, but more rou-hly within, where it ^2 WlM 

and i.olish.'d on tl utsid.', probably by n'nu-li Imudliuj;. y,^. ..J—J, 

Fi};-..".0(l/> (No.s<.)i.'.-)S I l(l'.l(l| also from mkiavwin) is asim- "'sr'nip,.,-.'"™ 
ilar cup, but has a sharp edj^c only at oi ud which is cut out in a 




30,) TIIK rt)lXT BAUliDW E8KIMO. 

process in all its sla-cs, aii.l •■an Mu-ivtbre s'iv only a -.■ncral account 
ofit. ])cerskins aiv always dressed as furs, with tlir hair on. The 



;kin isroiis-h-dncU innic(,|M-i 



wiMicoiisidcraldrsMbciitaiicimstissue 



woman takes tin- skin and w.-rks it ovr can^tiilly with a. stone scraper 
on the tlesh side. rcniii\ iiij;- every scrap of subeiitaueous tissue and 
'■ lireakinii tlie urain " of the skin, which leaves a surface resembling 
white chamois leather and very soft. This is then rubbed downi with a 



with chalk, so that when 



same way. Small seal skins to be worn with the hair on are scraped 
very clean and. 1 think, soaked in urine, before they an' spread out to 
dry. The black waterj.roof sealskin has tin' hair shavc.l off close to 
the skin, .uTcat care bcin.u- taken to leave the epidermis intact, and also 
has a certain amount of tannin- in mine, it is probable that a little 
<.f tlu> blubber is l<-fl on tlu-se skins, to make them oily and wateii.roof. 

When, howcvci' they wish to |ii'epare the white tanned sealskin, the 
skins are broii-ht into the warm house, thawed out or dampened and 
t lieu rolled i\p and a llowe<l to ferment for several day s, so that when they are 
unrolled hair and cpidi'rmis are easily seraped olf to-ether. The skin 
is then soaked in urine, stretched on a lar.uc hoojt, and luit out to dry in 
the sun and air. Many of these skins are pivpared during the first 
suiuiy weather in the early sprini;-. The skins of the large seal, walrus 

or bear when used for boatcovers oi- 1 t soles apiiear to be sweated 

in the same way. as the epi<lermis is always removed. We did in)t learn 
whether mine was employed on these skins, Imt I thiidc from their 
ordinary appeaiance that they are simply stretched and dried in their 
own fat. as appears to ]<v the case with the skill of the beluga, from 
whicii the epidermis is easily s(aa|.ed without sweating.' 

Combs for (Urr.skiH.s.—nn' loosened hairs on a <leerskiii garment are 
removed by means of a eond) made of a section of the l)eam of an ant- 
ler, hollow^ed out and cut into fe<'tli on the end. This instrument prob- 
ably serves also to remove vernnn. as its mime " kiimotin" looks very 
miichasif <ieri\cd from kumiik. louse. I must say, however, that the na- 
tives whom i asked if kiimotin had anythinu to do with ki'imuk said 
it had not. When vermin get troublesome in a gariiieiit, it is taken 
out on the tundia. away from the houses, and beaten with rods like a 
carpet. Very old -arments when iniich infested with lice are taken 
out back oft he village, (alt into small pieces, and burned. It is no un- 
<-om n si-ht in the spriii.t;- to see an old woman sitting out on the tun- 
dra, busy with her knih' .aittiiig up old clothes. 

We bn.u-ht home nine of these combs, of wiiich No. 80354 [1870], 
Fig. .".ubi. has been selerted as the type. It is ij inches long and has 



ixtccii tcctli al)()nt 1 ii 



.■11(1 





Sixofllicsccoiiihs liavc tcctli at one ciiii only, t lie .it licr three at 

ciiils. Tlics.' t.'i'tli aiv ^iviicrally al t lin.'cii in iiunil.er, and I in.'li .tr 

a little ..v.T loii.ii'. N.). S'.ITSl 1 1(1(1.-.]. a wry small eonib only 2-1I inches 
long-, whi.-li l.clon-v.l to tli.' "inlan.l" nativ.' llnl.wVa, has twenty tc.-tli 
0-G itieh L.iiji. Th.vs.. .-oniLs aiv usually al.oiit t ..r 4.1 iii.h.'s loiij;-. Xo. 

8955(; |I(I17|. 1m--. .Jdl/*, IV rtkiavwih is an nnusiially Ion-' ••..nil.. .■.•;! 

iiielies Ion-. wlii.Oi is pc.-nliar in bein- .s..li.l .'xccpt at the .mhI wlii.'h is 
(;ut into teeth. 

Fif;-. ;i(ll<- (No. •"^'•••■!'''.l |ll!i:!]). from UtkiaAwin is a (l..iiblc-.'n<l.'<l .■onib, 
liaviiii;- t.Mi I. ■.■til on on.^ .■n.l aii.l t hirt.^.'ii ..n the .itli.T. It is l-l in.-h.'s 
hill- and nia.lc with .•..nsi.l.Tal.h^.'an^. b.^in- .nnanient.'.l with in.^is.'d 
rinjis color.^.l with r.'.l o.'Ii.t. This is a. coininon inipl.^m.^nt at i'.iint 
Barrow, but seems innisnal els.^wh.T.'. Th.Tc is a sinyl.' spei;imen from 
tlie l)i.)medes in Mr. N.^ls.m's .•.ille.tion. 

MANITFACrUUE OF LINKS .IF TlION.x. 

N.) tools arc used lor this pirrposo except a knit'.'. 1 hav.' seen a 
small Jac.kknife used Ibr cutting the tine seal skin lines. Th.^ w orkman 
tak.'s a wet skill fr.im which tlu' hair and epidermis hav.^ b.'cn r.^mov.^.l 
an. I sits .I..WU cross-legg.'d.in the gr.mnd with somebody els.' to hold 
the skill stretched for him. Th.'u h.ilding the kuife vertically uji with 
th.' c.lge away t'r.im him, h.^ starts at one corn.n- of the skin an.l cuts 
a narrow strip in on.' .■ontiiiiioiis pi.'ce, -oing round aiul roun.lthe 



3()-2 Tin: rmxT bakhow Eskimo. 

skin, uatlicrinic aii.l strctc-liiii.u- tlie strip witli tb.' left liaiid. They do 
this"\n.ii<(iuit.M:ii)i(ll\ and witli -ivat sldll, cutliii^;- single lines upward 
„f !t(> n-ct long and linly one eiglitli incli in diameter, almost perfectly 
ev.-n. Tlicsc liiic lines of scal-slvin tlnmi;-, uliicli serve a i;reat variety ot 
pnrposes. are nsnally made wlien they are in tlie snmnier eam|)s, before 
tiie lireaidni:- niiol' liie ice. Tliey are dried by streteliing tlieni between 
slalies (i iuelies „r a lb,,l lii-li, diiven into tlie ground. 

The stout thon-s of the hide of the bearded seal, walrus, or beluga 
are nsnallv made in I he winter and stri'tehed to dry between posts of 
whales' boiu'S set u\> in the village, abont breast high. While they are 
dryiu"-, the maker i-aiet'nll\- trims and sca-aiies the edges with his knife, 

so as to make an al si Kiund line.' The usual diameter is about 0-3 

inch. These liiH's are not always made with such care, being often 
nverelv Hat thont;s. h'ine deerskin twine, or '"babiche," as it is called 
by the vovau-eurs. foi' nmking the uettings of snow shoes, is made in the 
same w ay. A deer skin is damiiened, rolled up, and put up over the lamp 
tbr a day or two to remove the hair by sweating, and then cut into a 
single long piece ot line thong. 

All the men do not appear able to «lo this fine 
work. For instance, our friend MhTnaln had the 
)al)iehe for his new snowshoes made by his house- 
nate, the yonnger Tnha/.n. When it is desired 
o fasten togelher two pieces of the st(mter kinds 
.f thong, what I lmv<' so often referred to as the 
-double-slit splice" is generally emidoyed. This 
,„-_,„,„..„•>,.,-..,.. '"^ made as follows: 'fhe two ends to be joined to- 
' rurnnvhiii.- lin.s, gether are each slit lengthwise, and one is passed 
through the slit in the othca-. The other end of this pieei' is then passed 
through the slit in the tirst piece, and drawn through so that the sides 
of each slit interlace like the loops of a s.piare knot (see diagrams, Fig. 
;!(IL'). The si)liee is often birthei' seemed by a seizing of sinew braid. 
Most writers on the Kskinu. have not gone sntlicienlly into the details of 
Iheii- arts to de.siaibe their methods of splicing. One wiiter.-' however, 
in iles(ailiing some f'.skimo implements from Bast (Ireeidand, describes 
and ligures se\-eial splices somewhat of this nature, and (UU' in particu- 
lar es])ecially eomi)licaIed by crossing the sides of the slits and passing 
the en<l throngli si'V.Mal times. This mc^thod of uniting thongs is prob- 
ably vi'is general aiuiMig the Hskimo ami is also common enough among 

liUlLDERS' TOOLS. 

For i\rcin-(itiuij.—\\ tlie present day they are very glad to use white 
men's picks and shovels when they want to dig in the gravel or elean 
out the ice from their houses. They, however, have mattocks and pick 

■clil.l. r .li.-.iril.os a .■..iiiil.ir |rio.i.,^ of niaiiiil'itctnriTif: tlu-si- lines at nuds..ir.s Kay. (Scbwatka's 
■'W.J. Solhw, ill Jour. Allllir(i|i. Iiisl. cf llrcat Itiitaiu and Ir.-land, vol. 9, lili. :i29-336. 




303 



axes(sikla) of their (.\ 


Vll 1 


iiiaiinracture. wliicli ; 


lie still ill use. Tiiese are 


always sinjile-poiiitcd 


an 


d have a bone ov iv 




adz head on a rather 


sho 


rthatt. Tlic liall. li 


ke thiise of ihe mauls and 


adzes aheady descrilx 


'd.i 


:s never titled into ili 


• •liead.but always applied 


to the imder surface ( 


i>f the latter and held 


on by a lasliing of thong. 


Tlie only complete 








implement of the 




ph 




kind which we ob- 




/^^fe^ 




tained is No. 73574 


J 


ir^^^'~^->s^ 




[297], Fig. 303. The 


f 


W^^ ^"^"""^"^ 




head is of whale's 


i 


■ ^^~^"---_ 


"■^^ 


rib, 17^ inches long. 


1 


I ^""""'*''-~-^ 


^^\^ 


The butt is shoiVl- 


M 


1 


'"""■"■"^ ^"\,^^^ 


dered on tlie under 
surface to receive 


1 


\ 


^^'^'^^^^^ 


the haft and rough- 


1 




\^ 


ened with crosscuts 


1 






to pie\ent slipi)ing, 


^ 






■with two sh<lllo^\ 




i„ W-Mitt 


k f wlnl s r li 


r(uigh ti.msMiM Tiotdio 


. on the upp( i sni 1 


lie toi the hshnu's Tlie 


halt i->ot iiMK,_'4i iiK 


lUS 


long The Lishuig i 


sot stout thong ot 1)( iided 


seal liid(,in two jih < ( 


OI 


i( ot toui tunis ]i issi 


n^ thiou^h till liol( Kuiiul 


the front ed,( <>{ tlic 


]l It 


t o\(i tin lowt I no 


rdi HI til. li( id 111(1 biek 


acrobta the halt tn tli< 1 


Ih>I( 


i,nn rh( nids i 


M 1 IMittdl td,. tli.i on top 







of the head by beeket-hitehiiig one end into an eye in the other, made by 
slitting it elos.- to the tip ami passing a bight of the standing part tiiroiigh 
this slit. The other i)art is of seven nuns, jiut on in the same way. but 
crossing back of the haft, and started by looping one end round the 
head and through the eye by means of an eye at the end made as before. 



304 TIIK POINT ISAKHOW KSKIMO. 

It is finished ofllby \viii(liii{;tlie end tlircc or four times round these turns, 
so as to tijihtcn them up, and hitchinj;- it round two of them on one side. 
Tiiis metho<l of haftiuf;- differs in no essential respect from that used on 
the mauls and adzes above described. 

\\C lia\ f also two lieads for such mattocks, which hardly differ from 
tin- one described, except the Xo. ."KU'U [285] has the notches for the 
lasllin^^•< on the side nt' I lie licail instead of on the upper surface. It is 
10 inches lon«. The (.thcr. No. SilSi.i [104,-}J, Fig. 304rt, is ti very rude 
head made of an almost cylindrical piece of rib. This is a very old tool, 
which from its oily condition has evidently been long laid away in 
some blubber room at I'tkiavwln. It is 15-2 inches long. 

These blunt-pointed mattdcks are not so much used at present as 
picks with a sliarji point mounted in the same way, and specially adapted 
for working in ice or hard frozen soil. I have, however, ncNcr seen them 
nsed for cutting holes in the ice for Hsliing, which some a ml mis liavesup- 
jHised to be what they were nu'ant for. Their shajie makes tlieui very 
inconvenient for any such a pur])ose, except when the ice is very thin. 

The ice pick, like those cairied on the butt of the spear, is under any 
circumstances a more serviceable tool. These, sharp pickax heads are 
genei'ally made of a walrus tusk, the natural .shape of which requires 
very little alieiatioii to tit it for the imrposc. We collected three of 
these ivory iieads, all \cry nearly alike, of which No. 56539/* [00], Fig. 
30t/*. will serve as the type. This is the tip of a good-sized walrus 
tusk. 1 1'L' inches lon^, |iieser\ing very iu\'»rly the natural outline of the 
tusk exci'pt at the point, wlieie it is rotiiideil o(f rather more abruptly 
above. It is keeled along the iippcf edge and on the lower edge at 
the point, so that the latter is foiu-sided, and the sides of the butt are 
flattened. On the under side the butt is cut (.ff flat for aUont .i.i inches, 
leaving a low tlan.^c or ridge, and roughened with crosscuts to fit the 
end of the halt, and the butt is iierlbrateil with two large trauverse eyes 
for the lashing. The other two heads are almost exactly like this and 
very nearly the same size. 

Sharp pointed pick heads of whale's bono ap]iear also to have been 
used, proliahly at an earlier date than the neatly finished ivory ones, as 
we collected tlnee such heads, all v<'ry old ami roughly made, and hav- 
ing notches i,v -roov.'s fbr the lashings in.stead of eyes. Fig. 304c is 
one of these. No. s!»sil |1;U5|, from Utkiavwiu, very rudely cut from a 

1 <lo not lecolleci seeing any of these bone-headod picks in use, while 
the ivoiy headed one was one of the cominonest tools. This Eskimo 
tool is ill use at I'lllckaj, a villagv supposed to be wholly inhabited by 
•sedentary Chiikches.' 

TdOLS FdK SNOW AND ICK WORKING. 

Snow k)iires.~Fov cutting the blocks of snow used in building the 

'Xordi-usliiuld's figures, Vcga, vol. 2, p. 123. 



SXOW TOOLf- 



apu'ya, or SHOW hut, tliey at the [inist-nt day iiiflcra saw or a 1 
kuife (for mstaiice, a wiialcman's boanliiij; kuilc), if Ilicy fan iircii-ii 
but they still have mauy of thelarue sabcrsliai»Ml ivory kniv.'s so 
moiily used by the Eskimo cverywhcri' for tliis i)uri)os('. 'I'licst 
however, more generally used for scrapuii; snow otf their clol liin". el 



805 




present. We brought home two of these knives, w 
any importaut respect from the many s])c(inieiis c 
plorers iu Alaska. 

No. 89478 [759]. Fig. 30.3, is one of th.-s.-— saviu'r 
is of walrus ivory (following the imtural outline of 




Fic.SllI).- 

long. The blade is double-edged, the haft roun.h-d ou the edges and 
laced along the lower edge for 3^ inches with a doulde piece of sinew 
braid. The object of this is to give the hand a Hrmer grip on the haft. 
These knives are also used for cutting tlie l)locks of snow to supjily 
the house witli water. 

Snow shorels.—Thi' broad, short-handled snow sliovel of wood with a 
9 ETH L'(t 



306 llli; I'oiNT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 

.sliaip edge of ivoiv is ilir km.I uiiivfi.sally .iiiployed whenever snow is 
"to'lH'sliovole.l. .'iiii'T l.xl.ai it :nvay or tWi M'xcavatiug houses or pit- 
falls in tlie snowilrilts. or ■• chinldn.i; "" up the crevices in the waUs of 
tiie'suow hous.., and is an ind.sprnsal.l,- part of tlie traveler's outfit in 
winter The shovels (|,i Usuni ar.' all made (in essentially the same pat- 
tern, wl.i.li is ^^r\\ shown In !• i- imia. X... 5073!» |;?0]. The blade is 14 
incii'es bmad and 11 hnii;. Th.' whole upi)er surtace of the shovel 
is Hat. The handl.- is beveled off on the side to a rounded edge 
below, and is (piile thiek where it Joins the blade, taperinj;- off to the tip. 
The blade is thick and abrnjitly rounded ott' on the upper edge below 
and gradually thinned down to the edge. The edge of the wood is 
flttecfwith a tongue iido a grov.' in the top of the ivory edge, whieh is 
U inches dce|i. it is fastened on by wooden tree-nails at irregular 
intervals, and at oiH'cnd, win-re the eilge of the groove has been broken, 
bv a stitch of black whalelione. The wooden part of the shovel is made 
of four uiu'qual |iieces of sjuwe. neatly titted and doweled together 
and held by the ivory edge and three stitches of black whalebone 
close to the ni.i)ei edge, and countersuiik below the flat surface. The 
whi|t|>ings of sinew braid on the handle are to give a firm grip for 
the hands. 

No. r)G7.'5S [27]. Fig. ■'•Wh. is a sinular shovel of the same material 
and almost exactly the same dinu-nsions. figured to show the way it 

l,j,s 1) 1 piered togethei and mended. The maker of this shovel was 

able to i)rocure a broad piece of wood which only had to be pieced out 
with a narrow strip on the left side, which is fastened on as before. It 
was. how.'vcr, not long enough to make tlie whole of the handle, which 
has a piece Si im'lies long, neatly scaifed on at the end and secured by 
six stout treenails of wood; three at each end of the joint, passing 
through the thin part of the scarf into tlie thick, but not thnmghthelatter. 
Nearly the whole handle was seized with sinew braid put on as before, 
but nmch of this seizing is broken off. At the right side of the blade 
twist, bringing it parallel to the ivory edge, and ren- 
> split, as has happened li-om the warping of the ivory 
has been in the Museum. The owner sought to pre- 
tening to the edge a stout " strap" of walrus ivory -tj 
ippears to be an old bird spear ])oint. The lower end of 
ii-oove of the ivory edge, and it was held on by three 
;s of narrow wlialebone. each running through a 
the wood and round tin' ivory in a deep transverse 

uow shovel is very like that from IgluUk, flgiu'ed by 
le handle of the latter is so much shorter in propor- 
hat th.-re is an additi(Uial handle like that of a pot 
if the blade on the upper surtace. The ivory edge 
lastcned on wholly with stitches. 

l*;iiiy s SiM-und Voy.. pi. oplJoslte p. 548, Fig. 5. 



the 


gra 


in 


takes 


dcr 


ing 


it 1 


iable 


silK 

ven 


■e tl 
1 tl 


lis 


shove 
by fa 


inci 


les. 


wl 


li.'h a 


thi> 


i litt 


ed 


intot 


e(|U 
hoi 


lidis 


tai 
th 


It las 


groove. 






■I 

Cai 
tiol 
lid 


,1. 1 


pa 
th 


m.' bi 
c bla. 




,.'ap 


pe 


,l!'s to 



CH.J 



■SNOW AND ICE TOOLS. 



307 



1 Ih il u, v,« It I. 
I I ^Mtll till iiiK II I I 



Olllltll 

ouildl 



Ih.I 



1 Iff DOT (Nm vf 
th( <)iil\ out of till 
madf of I wli il( s > 

oft vtl light so is to Ml tl I It I 

ln\(l((l oti to lu (il^( III, I 
tli( s( n)ul I 111(1 ( nttiiu iliio 
hon/oiit i1 (lIijitK il slot Ik Idu 
of tli( sc ij)ul I Is ^\oil ( (I into t 
iLubmdi mict( i lln < iittin^ 
<il)peiis new iml ud m Ik i h 
into tin (iPNKts On tli< iitlii I h mmI th, h. ^ 

OllK^ of tin dl^^lIU < <!-,» I|>| . IK (I I , h, oil 

Though colon d witli ml n h. i t|„ ,,|^, 

M^^^ tluu .ictia^mn.tsottin 

^ ^^^\ di iiiiossstukm^toit 
^''^ ^^ ^ IS inol)il)]\ 111 old impl 

limit toiuluduii toisil 
\\< did not I( nil win tin 
sii( h tools ui K now _( III 
\ ns(d 1 Ills ill i\ li I 

idlMllll 



II MM ., tilt 111 




slult 



tl 



tool l)( will, Il «, s|W II , ,,tlll 1 s| 
It IjM.t llstol.t It llh III old 11111,1, 111, lit 

ud to hi\t l.tt II lis, ,1 I,, I ,lu,iiu oi iMi 1 111 

;0\\ 't is I vtDIlt s|| llj) IMUlltttl Jill I t Ol 11 

iistittil 111 till tinl t>t I [nt.i I I 

lit II St l\ls IS I 11 lit 

/s_I II, i\oi\ I, , ]ii( l^(tu u) ihvn\s iti I, 
pooii li isl), t II lilt id\ (hsdibt tl 
tlitUis lioiii tilt /«-/ of tilt (.iteiiluidcis mil . 
t istiiii I slviiiio 111 liiMii^ I simp bi\oiut |ii 
while the latter 18 often chisel-pointed. All tlif 
now have iron ice jiicks which they use fur nit 
he holes for fishing, setting seal nets, and smli 
posi's. These are inatlo of Some white man's 
•ket, like a harpoon iron, a whale la 
rio.S08.^SM„wi,i,k ;| l,,,;irdiiigkiiifeorbayonet,and usually have a la 
slender blade about a foot long, mounted on a pole 6 or 8 feet long. 
point is sLar]) aiitl polygonal, generally four-sided. The tool is maiui 
with both hamls and used to split off fragments of ii-e by rather obli 
blows. In other woiils. it is used in iirecisely the same way as the 1 
single-hantletl pick wliieli w t' use in refrigerators. For chiseling off 
jectiug corners of ice when making a path out through the ice pack. ) 



308 



■rm; p(UNT bahkow 



^KIMO. 

htaiiied ;i fji't'iit many fi-om 



,1 ,| hoiii I tUi l\^\^l 1^ I \(i\ <>1<1 l>i«lv iiM(U lit a i)ie(( ot 

1 1-t iiiLlies louft, s])lit 1( n^tliw i-.e, ami tapen d To a shaip 

\i(l iKHiit The butt is<ut intoa&oitot taiij,^vitli alow 

iiilili I llio ^plit 1 1<( 1- <"ii< i\(, tilt M)ft iiitdioi ti»-sue 



l\ III;- 
III |M 1 

liolll. 



1.1 1)\ 
ittiiti 



1 tkl 

Irak 1 
pit ( < 


1\\\II 
III 1 


) Tins 
.n ni.l 
itid 1<)4 


UK ll. S 


iii.a 

in.lul 

loU!,, 


tip. 1 
tli.i. 
lu..k 


in- 


low slum 
111 mis .1 


butt 

lll.l 11 
t 1 11 


\\ll. 1. 
ll til. 
lll.l. .1 


tUlH 


to 1>( 


titttd to 


islillt 


On. 


SUl. 

(1.1 1 


scut 
.til. 


ott flat ti 
tip ^ii( 


.mi til. 
uilh 1 


M . Olll 



II B«H tipisslulitl\.\i.inil..l I.II1I1.1..1 

it'ifn ""^ s.iiii.wiiit I), lit t.>\\ mi til. 

^ *™" ,..I1N.\ s„l, 111. s,„..,ll.ll IS 

siiio.)tlil\ and m it]\ iiniU iiid 
d llkl)I.)^^n fiom a^* N.iotlu i 

F, ,_;„,sp,.,MI.IlsN,,l. S,.M) A\iU(l. 

lull tol.l III ll Ill's tool ^\ IS mounted 
on I l.m^ poll lll.l iiM.I t.ii iliilliiio holes in 
tlie ice by makiii.i; tlic iiol.- r.^v.ilve with the 
hands. 

/w'scooj^s.— Wh.Mi picking a hole through 
the ic« they use a long-handled scoop, made 
of a piece of antler bent round into a hoop, 
and netted across the bottom with striiis of 
whalebone, so that the water may drain off 
in dijiping pieces of ice out of the water. 
We br.iiiglit lioiii.Min.' sii.'.-iiu.-n of this uni- 
versal iiuphMii.'iit (N.i.s'.mo:; |i(i',i(i], Fig.;U()). 
Th.' liaii.U.' is ..f .lak, :. Ic.^t I :; in. -lies long 
aii.l .-llipti.'al in s.'.'tion. The rim ..f the 

eiitly lidiii til.' "iialin," bent round into a 
|iointe.l .ival. S.i in.-hes long and o^ wide, 

with th.' Ill.ls.ll 

fii.l. The en.ls 




trip overlapping about 3 inches at the l)roader 
ved t.igether with two vertical stitches of whale- 



MCRDucHl 8C(.)(;)PS AND SKIM.MKKS. 3()',) 

boue. The left end lias hceii hniken across <,l.li(|iu.ly i„.;ir ihr i,,in|. 
ami uieuded with wiialcbDiic stitdies. l.'omHl tlic lower cdi;)' nC ilie 
riiu runs a row of tweiity-scvcii pairs nf small holes O-L' imli Iromdie 
edge. The holes of each [lair are i-ounedcd liy a ilrep cliaiiiicl, and a 
narrow shallow groove, probably for oniaincni , juins I he pahs. ( )ii i he 
left side are eight extra holes between the pairs, whidi arc not ascd. 
Through tiiese holes, omitting the lirst two pairs in Ihr right hand cud, 
is laced a piece of seal thong, thus: Starting at the point of Ihcoxal, tlu^ 
two ends of the thong are passed througli the pair of holes there from 
the oxitside and the bight drawn home into the channel; ilic ends are 
crossed, the left end going to the right, ami vice versa, and passc<l out 
through the farther hole of the next ]iair and in througli tlic nearer, and 
soon till the ends meet at the broad v\u\ of the oval where they arc tied 
together, tlius making tweiity-tive loops on the inside of the rim into 
which the netting is fastened. This is made of strips of thin whah- 
l)oiie, interwoven, over and under each other, jiassiug up thiough one 
loop and down through the ne.xt. There are eleven longitudinal strands 
passing obliquely fi-om right to left, the same number from left to right, 
and eleven transverse strands, luakiug a network with elongated liex- 
agonal aiiertures. The strips are not one continuous i)i<M'e. The howl 
thus made is fastened to the handle by three i.ieces of stout seal tlumg. 
The whole lashing was jnit on wet. and allowed to shrink. 

X.irdenskiiild menti(Mis and tigures a scoop of almost identically the 
same pattern, liut smaller, in general use for the same purposes at 
I'itleka.i.' A smaller scooj. uy skimmer (claiiatiu) is also universally 
used. We inadvertently neglected to preserve a specimen of this very 
coiiimon imiilcmcnt. flioiigli we had two or three ab(ait the station for 
ourown use. I shall tlicrcfore have to describe it from memory. The 
handle is a flat, straight stick with r<puiidcd edges, about IS inches or li 
feet long. U inches broad, and thre«..fourths inch thick. Tli.> howl is 
made of two pieces of antler "palm " (tf such a- shape that when they 
ai-e fastened together on the end of the sti<-k they make a sliallow ciii) 
about :U inches l.nig hy ;; wide, with a longitudinal crevice ah.iig the 
middle which allows the water to drain otf. The t\\> of th.- handle is 
hevcledolfon Ix.th sides so as to tit info the iusid.- of this cii)), along 
thejnuctiou of the two pieces, each of which is fastcnetl to it hy one or 
two neat stitches of wlialehone. The two jpieces are fastened together 
ill front of tlie liandl<' with a stitch. 

In addition to the use of these scoops for skimming the flshing holes, 
and reelin-- u|. the liius as already described, they also serve as scra|.ers 
to remove snow and hoar frost from the clothing. In the winter most 

they go out doors, partly for the sake ot having something in their 
hands, as we carry sticks, and p.artly for use. The boys are very fond 
of using them to pick up and sling snowballs, bits of ice, or fnizen dirt, 
which they do with considerable force and accuracy. 



gj^, iiiE POINT ]!AKKO\V KSKIMO. 

IMl'LKMEXTS FOR PRO.T in.N.i AND PKKPARING FOOD. 



lihihhn-hnob 






tclmij; lioia of pieces of blublu'r or 
■ walniN oi- iliaggiiif; tliem vouiid on 
iIkt rooms, tlu'\ use books iiuub' by 



i.iil' 



IS brut iliti 




the cli.l ot a \\«',iW\\ li.ilidlc,^^ 

UMuledVor iiM' iM thr boMts lun.' haii.lU-s 7 or S 
IW-I loiij;. while those for shore use are ouly I.' or 
;j feel loiiu. These iiiiph-meuts. which are eoni- 

moi, all aloiiu the Ahiskan eoast. iua> 

soiiietiiiu's be used as iMMthooks, as ap 

pears to be the ease farther south, though 

I never saw them so employed. We 

brouuht home two short hooks and one 

long one. Xo..-.(17(;(; [lli(;].Fi8-.311. This 

has a prong of walrus ivory fastened to 

a spruce pole, 7 feet 7^ inches long, to 

the othei end ot which is fastened a 

short ciook (It .iiitlei. The pole is ellip- 
tical in section. The crooU is a nearly 

sti, light ••liiMiicli" of an antler with a 

tiaiis\ei,se .11111 at the base made by cut- 
ting <int ,1 lile.e ol the ••beam" t.i lit 

against tii. pule 1 is 1,. 1,1 .,n li> tliic 

neat lasiiiii;:sii| w lialebone ol the usual 

|iaiiein. 'I'lie iipiier two of these are 

1 1 .1 iis\ ei sc lashings passing- througheor- 1'^;^ 

respoiidint; holes in the pole and crook. 

The lowest, which is at the ti]) of the 

arm, is at i ight angles to these, jiassing 

through wniiil ,in(l .intlei 'I'lie l.islniig 

ofwhaleliolii ilosi-WilliclllMil liiecKKiU. " 1 

passing througli a hole and round the i | 

under side of the latter, is to keep the j 
l.'!m. '"liiT-haiid from slipping off. The proug is 
i,",'"h....i,- hehl on by two lashings of small seal 
thong, each ])assing tlirougli a large transverse 
hole in the jjrong and a coires|ionding one in 
theiKile. Theupiieiiiairofholesdo not exactly 
match. There are als.i two unused holes, one 

in the jiole below (he upper hole and one above 

the iijiper hole in the prong. These holes and the new appearance of 
tlie lashings indicate that the prong is part of another hook recently 
litted to this pole. The two lashings are made by a single piece of thong. 




>"^^™««1 BLllJHEK HOOKS, F.TC. 311 

The whole is old an.l watl.civ.l Mii.i larlicr .uicasy ;il.iiut I lie piu„u .ii:d 
the tip of the pole. 

Fig. 312 (X<..Sits:!(;[12(»;il from rtkiavwin) is a siniihir k with a 

short haucUe, .'U inches lon.u. for use on land. Tiie erook is p--, 
made by bending the handle. The jtrong. of walrns ivory as jp 
before, is 7 inches hnig. and held on by two stoul lashings of \^ 
whalebone, which pass round the end of the handle instead of 
through it. The prong and tip of the handle are very gi easy. 

Xo. 89837 [1353], from tlu' same village, is a similar iiook 
rather rudely made. The crook is bent only at au angle of 
about 4.")^, and there is somewhat of a twist to the whole han- 
dle. The prong, which is of antler, is 7i| inches long and shoul- 
dered at the butt lik" tliat of the Ion- hook described. It is 
fastened on by two thick lashings of stont seal thong passing 
around prong and handle and kept from slipjiing by notches 
in the latter, and on the butt end of the fainer and by a large 
flat-headed brass stud di ivcn into the prong below the upjier 
lashing. 

Fish sckIci:— Fig. :u:\ (No.s'Udl [1279] from rtkiavwiu) rep- 
resents a little implement which we never saw in use, but which 
we were told was intended for scraping tiie scales off a tish. 
The specimen does not a])pear to be newly mad.'. It is a piece 
of hollow "long" bone, S inches long, cut into the shape of the 
blade of a case knife, flat on one face with a broad, shallow, 
lougitudinal groove on the other. 

MAKI.N(i A.NI) WOKKINd FIBEK. 

Twisting and hraidiii;/ — We had uo opportunity of seeing the p„. ^ 

process of twisting the sinew twine, which is sometimes used Fixh scait-r. 

in place of the braid so often mentioned but mr)re generally when an 

extra strong tlirea<l is desired, as in sewing on boot soles. Fig. 314 (Xo. 

89431 [1332] from I'tkiavwifi) is a little shuttle of walrus ivory, 3 inches 

long and l.\ Inoad, which we were tohl was used in this 

W process. The body of this shuttle is reduced to a narrow 

' * crosspiece. and the i>rongs at one end are twice as long as 

those at the ol her. The tii)s of the long prongs are about ^ 

inch apart, wliile tliose of the shoit ones nearly nn'ct. There 

is a small round hole in one si.le ot the body. This s])eci- 

men was made for sale. As well as 1 couhl under.stand the 

seller, the ends of several strands of tine sinew were fhs- 

1 .■ ,/ teued into the hole in the shuttle and twisted by twisting 

\/^ it with one hand, while the other end was held iierhajis by 

riG.3i4.-ivurv tlie other hand. The part twisted was then w.-unil on tiie 

'shuui... shuttle and a fresh length twistcil. Tins wonhi lie a very 

simple form of .si)inning with a si)indle. 

No special implements for twisting have lieen described anioiLg other 




312 






Kskiino. 


Mv. 1 


. \v 


iiativ.-si 


r NoiK 




Iclbii'tuU 


;lt No 


lull 


llcl.-s.-i 


ill.'S II, 
iI.tI.u 


•ir 11 


tiiij;- tlic 


, aid hi 


(1 si 


The si 


lew t\\- 


111- 1 



POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

Isiiii (ill a letter to the writer) says that the 
iiiforiiieii him that the cable twisters (kaputa — 
ml) were also used for inakiufi' twisted cord. 
follows: "The euds of the sinew eord are tied 
two i\()ry j)ieces, oue of the latter at each end 
■y are twisted in op]iosite directions, thns get- 
.'■ord used on the bows." 
at I'liint liarrow is ueiierally braided, almost 



^ 




seilted in the Mliseiiiii colleetioiis. 
with four strands is shown by the h 
|41()j). They also have a special w. 
hiji witli four strands in di.stinctioi 
(pidrri). 

Xettiug. — Two imiilements are i 
needle or lonj;- Hat shuttle for cai 
No. r>V,->H) [101 j), and a mesh stick t\ 
mesh. The knot isthennive " 
hitch made in the usual iii; 
mesh stick, howe\ cr, is rathe 



(which 
rom lir; 



'.e of stout i)ackthread, 
iim all localities repre- 
Iso know how to braid 
ly described (No. 56545 
an not recall) for braid- 
ni;- with three 



as usual in netting', a 

ii the twine (Fig. .'U."), 

uging the length of the 

sal " fisherman's knot" or becket 

mer. The method of using the 

peculiar, and somewhat clumsv 



t makers, as it serves 
> hold the successive 
tlat piece of Ixme or 
blade sipiare at heel 
hint hook (as in Fig. 



com]iared with that used by ci\ili/,ed i 
only to measure the mesh and not also 
meshes as they arc made. It is a Ion 
antler, sliajied like a case knife, with : 
and point. There is often also a litth- 

;{I(;, No. .".(l.")SI I I()L!I I) at the point, bending upward or toward 
the back of the blade. The blade is the part of the stick which 
measures the iiicsh.and its length from heel to point is always 
l.rccisely half the length of the mesh to be made. It i.s us.'.l 
ling the mesh stick by the haii 
■ blade downward, catches the 
o be made with the hook, and 
rried down the left .side of the 
ugh the mesh as usual, and drawn ^lesh stick, 
mes just to the point of the blade. This 
f( n- a mesh round the stick. The point 
is now caught between the thumb and 
iiesh stick taken out of the loop. The 
ther lingers of this hand still hold the 



as follows: Tile wor 


iiiiaii. hoh 


die in his left, hand 


with th. 


mesh into which the 


knot is 


holds it while the I 


\ inc is ca 


blade, round the heel 


andthrou 


up till the precediiij. 


knot con 


makes a loop of the | 


rollerleiig 


wherethe next knot 


s lobe ma 


finger of the right h 


indaiid 11 


left thumb and ling< 


r, while tl 



NETTING NEEDI. 



handle of the stick, iclicvc tli«' (iugt 
to make the knot in the usual iiiaiin 

We coUeeted tliirteeu hcimUcs of 
56570 [101], Fig. ;515, lias been s.-Lctc 
It is of walrus ivory, 11-0 inches loi 
one prong is for a lanyard to hani: 
needle could be used only for iiiak 
seal net. 

We collected seven needles of uhiu 
a little in proportions. The faces ai 
and the ends usually sinuate 
are of reindeer antler and tht 



;tlietype(i 
The siual 



ip of 



almost the same pattern as 
I's are usually more deeiily 
itead of being straiglit. 'fl 
L'st of ivory. The long(\st 



long and the shortest U. This needle (No. 50.^71 [lit], from I'tki; 
is rather broad in proportion, being nearly 1 inch wide. It is of 
ivory. No. S1I4.33 [942] is better suited for netting a small mesh 
only 0-7 inch broad at the widest jiart. It is made of reindeer aiit 



■\xm) 




is 7-.'5 inclicf, long. The.se ueedlo .Munetiincs iiavc .i -^mall hole through 
one end of the body foi fasteidng the end of tiie twine, and most have 
some arrangement for fastening on a lanyard, either a hole as in the type 
or a groove round the tip of one i)rong as in No. 5C574 [24]. 

No. 89427 [1283], from Utkiavwiu, is a, neetUe of a slightly diiferent 
pattern, being rather thiek and not narrowed at the middle. It is of rein- 
deer antler, 8-7 inches long and 1 wide. No. siil.U) flL'SO]. P'ig. :\]lii. from 

Utkiavwin,is a very broad n lie. with short body and long iiroiigs.oue 

of which is expanded at the ti). and perforated for a laiiyanl. it is a 
piece of the outside hard tissue of a reindeo' antler, .■)-4 inches long and 
1-2 broad. It is but slightly imi rowed at the uuddle, while No. S!I428 
[1.381], Fig. 3176, from Utkiavwin. a somewhat similar broad nee.lle of 
the same material is deeply notclied on eacii side of the body. Tliis is 
made from antler of smaller diameter than the preceding, and eon.se- 



1 We h.id no apcoiivl oHJortiu 
pened to be mailo at the villa^r 
taken out every time ii knot w 
sticl(8 in our oollei'tiun, I liave 
tool is the only one wliicli will i 



.vorli nelting, as but few nets bap- 
•, observed that the mesh stick was 
■an-fiil study of the different mesh 
lial the above method of usil.g the 



314 



[XT BARKOW ESKIMO. 



qiiciitly is not tlat.l.ul stnm.uly muvcx. on one face and coriespondinsly 
concavV on tlif otii. r. It is Si' inrlics lony and U vride. 

For niakinu' llir seal iirts a \fiy lar.^v needle is used. Tlie one in the 
collection, No. -VmSI [IOL'J, Fig'. .'US, IVoni ^tkiav^vl^, is L'OA inches long- 
and only 1.4 wide. H is made of two nearly e(iual lucres ,,t antler, which 
are neai-lv'tlat, ami lap over each other abont ;{| inclics near the middle. 



.E^S^^^^^Sa 



They are strongly lastened together by live whalebone stitebes, one at 
each corner of the splice and one in the middle. The comer stitches run 
round the edge of the two parts, and through a hole through both parts. 
The prongs are stout and curved. nearl.\- meeting at the tips. They are 
about3iuche.s long. The lateral distortion appears to be due to warping. 




A i)ecnliar netting needle is .sliowii in Fig. 319 (No. 89429 [1333], from 
ntkiavwiii), which is new and rather carelessly made from very coarse 
walru.s ivory. The tijis of the prongs, after nearly meeting, diverge 
again in the form of the letter U. This needle, which is 9J inches long, 
was said by the maker to be of the pattern used bythe "Kunmu'd'liii." 




it ( niiou^h ■^u^_( -t^ ( 

'•1((N to. iK.ldin, IMK 

II ttiu„ It I i( h < lid in - 



M -ill Hti Its 

iblitU It in tin inii^eum ( ollu tions, though 
iiiiph nil iits tiom Noiton Sound hbeled 
< oiiMvtnu o( sl( nd( 1 lods ol intUi termi- 
-hillou I -.Inp.d toiks 



""""■'■" I MK.Sii STICKS. ;5ir, 

Th.'inesli stick (ku'l.nu) iM'lon-iii- t.. Ilic lari;c Mcltino nrcdl,-. No 
56581 [102J, may be takwi as tlic t\\>v of tliis implciiicnl. ^Ii is a i.ici-c 
of the hard outside tissue of a rciiidccr auflcr. 'I'lic tlirtc ikiIcIks oh 
the lower edge of the haft are for tlic lingers. Tlic incised liii<. mIoii" one 
faee of the Wade is prohalily a inaik (o wliicli (lie I wine is to l)c ,h;i\\ ii 
in making a mesli. Tlic Idadc is jnsi the |>io|)ei leiiiitii, H indies tor 
the large mesh of the seal iici. The leniainiim I'onr niesli sUcl^s arc all 
small, and intended for making ttsh nets. Time aiv ol' icindcer anik'r 
and the fourth of hard boue, with a wooden liatt. 

Fig. ?,'2()u (No. S!I4;!(; |li.'S4j, fr.mi rtkiavwin) is of aiilier, 7-i' inciics 

king, with a blade of I'-T inclies, protected fr splitlin- liy a stout 

round i.cg of har<l bone, driven throngli the liandle s., as to lie a-aiiist 
the heel of the blade. It terminates in a blunt i.oiiil instead of aliook. 

UtkiaA'wih, is of the same material. .">•!' indies long, without a hook and 
with a blade only 1 inch long. There arc two tinger notches in the haft 
The last of the antler mesh sticks (No, S'.(4.>".l |!»s;!j, from I'tkiavwih. 
Fig.320fc) is double ended, having a liook and a slioi t blade at cadi end. 
The blades ai-e respectively lv->and !•(! inches long, and the total length 
is (;-(i inches. Fig. 320c (No. 89435 [l()l!l|, also from rtkiavwin) has a 
blade, with a. small hook, of white compact bone, and what would be 
the handle lashed to one side of a haft of soft wood, which is shouldered 
to receive it. The haft is 4-3 inches hmg, and the two parts aie licld 
together by two lashings of fine sinew, kei)t from slipping by notches. 
The total lengtli is 7-3 indies, that of the blade i'-7. Netting needles 
andmeshsticksof es.sentially the same type as those just described, but 
varying in material and diniensions, arc in general use from the Ander- 
son Itivei- to Bristol I'.ay, as is shown by the :\hiscum collections. 

Xfttiii;/ »V7V/A/.v.— We collected Kl littl.' ix'ory iiii]ilenieiits, each, wlu-n 
complete, consisting of the image of a fish about -U to 4 inches long. 
suspended by a string about 4 inches long to a little ivory spi ing hook. 
We never happened to see these imi)lemeuts in use, but we were told 
that they were used in netting to keep the meshes in proper shai)e. 
Thc> generally were made in pairs. The only way of using them that 
I can think of is first to hook one into the bight of the first mesh made 
in starting the net. Tliis would make the successive meshes, as they 
were netted, hang down out of the way. On starting the next row in 
the opposite direction, the second weight hooked into the flr.st mesh of 
this row would draw the successive meshes down on the left-hand side 
of the stick, while the other weight would keep the meshes of the first 
row stretched so that one couhl be easily caught at a time. On begin- 
ning the third row the first weight would be transferred to the first 
mesh of this, and so on. Fig. :V21a is one of a pair of these ncpitaiira 
(No. .-)(m!I(; |2(»7] ) wiiicli has been selected as the type. It is a, rather 
rude tignre of a salmon or trout 4 inches long, neatly carved out of walrus 
ivorv. The strini; is of braiiled sinew and the hook of walrus ivory. 



3U! 




POINT HARKOW ESKIMO. 

lS9i»] iVoiii Xuwfik) i.s ii. weifilit without the 

t whale's boue. It is 4-1 inches long, and very 

the flus in relief, the gill openings, mouth, and 

eyes incised. No. 565S2 

fl73J ft'oui Utkiavwiu is 

one of a pair very rudely 

carved out of a piece of 

snow -shovel edge. The 

mouth aud gill openings 

are indicated by incised 

and blackened lines, the 

latter fringed with short 

lincs,each endingin adot, 

perhaps to represent the 

gill hhimcnts It is 12 

__ iii(h( s Ion},, iiid h istily 

iMich ten >.]. li^ ._•! 

\ ( s|_(M I 1, „„ 1 t 

I ll\ MM M.llls t . ll. Ill 

t< ndcd loi I pol u ( od, 
ind h IS the hoh dulled 
the 
line is 
mirk(d b\ i s( i it( h, ( ol 
ored with black lead, and 
the dark color of the back 
is represented by curved, 
transverse scratches also 
colored with black lead. 
"When the ( arving is suf- 
ti< n nth good to show 



i-^J%\hit soit of a fish is 

^Jiiuant. it IS generally a 

mon Ol trout. Only 3 

: ot the 16 are of any- 

iijiact whale's bone, and one 

which one still remains. 



"""^s..^^^^^ ind 11 IS tiie uoK on 
., 3^ thiough th( loot of 
\,.^ till Jlu lateral Im 



The 




1 the longest 4-.'., but most of them are 



\\\Hn,„,.~\ set ol hftlt tools 
oiiiilit o\ei loi sale, wiiidi wcit 



(l(^ oflxine and reindeer antler were 
ud to l)e those used ill weaving the 



MURDOCH.] 



WEAVING TOOLS 



317 



feiith.T belt^s. I had l 
evideutly does uot n 
needle or shuttle ufl) 
feather weaviin;. been 



111 opportunity of sfcini; a 
luire all three of these t( 
)iie (Fi^i-. 322, No. .s'J4;'.l |1 
ise, as already iiieiitioiied, 




fiot fastened together iuto a idntinuons ci 
a shuttle. It is o-'.l inches loug and 0-7 wii 
stick .itantler (Fig. ;52:5, No. 8!U38 1133S]) (; 
inches in length, and a little hook, wh 
be fitted for nothing except netting a snia 
lower edge of the handle. lio\vc\ er. is cut 
rounded notches, which jierhaps serve th^ 
a nide "frame" for keeping apart the sti 
warp, while the woof of feather is pasf 



net. The 
itolOdeep 

purpose of 
mds of tlie 
•d through 



with the fingers. It would be held with this edge 
up, and the beginning of the belt being fastened to 
the wall, the warp strands would be stretrhed over 
this, as over a ^oliu bridge, each resting in one of the 
notches. The last tool of the ,set (Fig. 324, No. 89462 
[1.338)) i.s undoubtedly a "sword" for pushing home 
the woof, and probably also serves to separate the 
strands of the warp into a "shed." It is a flat, thin 
piece of antler, 9 inches long and three-fourths wide, 
of whicli al)ont ti* inches forms a straight blade (I* 
inches long, and the rest is bent round to on«^ side aud 
slightly down, forming a handle. When the strands 
of the warp are stretched over the bridge as al)0ve de- 
scrilx'd, jmshing this horizontally through them alter- 
natel\ o\ er and under the successive strands, woidd 
make a " shed " through which the end of the woof 
could be thrust with one motion, and pushed up 
again.st the preceding strand of the woof by sliding 
tiie .sword forward. It wonhl then lie witlulra wn and 
passed through again, going over the strands it went 
under bef(U'e and vice versa, so as to open a •■shed" 
foi- tiie next strand of the woof. 

,sv,r/;)//.— For sewing furs and leather they alw; 
use thread made by stripi)ing off thin fibers from a fig. 324.-'Swo.d' for 

. , . 1 -ii feather woaviiig. 

idece of dried sinew ot the reindeer, as is usual with 

Eskimo. Cotton or linen thread of civilized manufacture is now often 

used for sewing the cotton frocks, etc., and sometimes for making an or- 



Vz 



318 



uaiiii'litiil seiuii 1)11 rl 
hav.- already 1 
Tlicv l«.)ltl the 



POINT BARROW ESKIMO, 
atcrpimif gut 



liiits. The stitches employed 

dcsciibwl under tlie head of clothiiiiLr (which .see). 

He between the thumb and middle tinger, with the 

linible on the forefinger (both are called by the same 

line, M'kyo) and sew toward them. This appears to 

■ the regular Eskimo method of sewing.' 

At the present day they are well supplied with steel 

iiifillcs (iiuksun) of all sizes and patterns, but formerly 

I li.y used bone needles iiiailefroni the fibula (amilygrfiu) 

i,|- the reindeer. Wr <oll.'cted sixty of these needles, 

( inlilccn of which appear to be old and genuine. The 

icsl were more or less carefully made for sale. Nika- 

waalu told i is that once wheu he and a young mau were 

out (leer liiiuting a long distance from camp their boots 

gave (mt. Ha\iug killed a deer he made thread from 

the sinew, a needle from the bone, and with pieces of 

the skill repaired their Ixiots, so that they got home in 

conifoir. 

N'd. S!I."..S!I [ll'.nj, Fig. :!-'."• will serve as the type of 
tiiesc needles. This is a case 3^ inches long, made of 
thr iHitt of a large iiiiill, closed with a. plug of walrus 
1 contains needles. One is 1-8 inches long, 
stout, and round -point.^d. with a large eye. It is much discolored from 
age. The scioiid is also round-])oiuted but more slender, 1'9 inches 
long, and llafteiied and expanded at the butt. The third is 2-4 inches 
long, and lias ; 
sided l)oinr lil;r 




and appea 
other three are 
, roughly made, 
tlat, rcsnrr 




and 
2-1, : 

long. Two of them look 
suspicicmsly new. This 
set was said to have been 
the propw'ty of the wife 
of Puka, Nik; 
father. 

Fig. ;?2()fl is a iieeiil 
iarly large and fiat nee 
die (No. 89392 [ll!t:)| from ITtkiavwin) 3-2 inches long, with a round, 
sharp point and a large eye, with little grooves running to the butt on 
each side for the thread to lie in. This needle was perhaps specially 



NEEDLES AND THIMKEKS. 319 

meant tor sewing huat skins. Witli tins niTillc l)clnnns a peculiar large 
bone or ivory thimble. Tlie remaining nccillcs aii- all \cr\ nnirh alike 
though some are more ronglily made than tiic (illi.is. 'i'lucc of (licni 
have the butt square instead of rounfh'd. and half of ilnin, incjudin"- 



some whieh are undoubtedh- 



point 



Hiion 
vc\c 


.•d 


rill ]iicfc 


of til 


lesr 


:one inti 


l,a|,.. 


th; 


\t it may 



er's needle. The longest is .". inches long and tlic shortest l-l inches, 

but the eominonest length is about li or I'.i, inches. Siniilai' b needles 

are mentioned by various authors.' 

Nearly all the wonu'u now use onlinary metal t hindtles, obtained in 
trade, but they wear them in the old 
forefluger. Some of the older women, 1 

leather thimble. There are two i)atterns of these: one inrended for (In 
fore-finger only, and the other of such a shape that it may also 
on the other fingers as a guard against chating in pulling stout thread 
through thick leather. It is often so used at the jiresent da,\. 

We collected threeof the first-mentioned pattern, which is represented 
by Fig. 3266 (^o. 8939(5 [1202, 124«| ). It is made by cutting out a narrow 
ring of raw sealskin 0-7 inch in diameter, with a circular flap O-o inch 
in diameter on the outside of the riug and a cori'esponding one on the 
inside of the same size, cut out of the middle of the riug. The flaps 
are doubled over so as to make a pad on the inside of the foretinger 
when the tip of the latter is inserted into the riug. The butt of the 
needle presses against this pad. 

The third thimble, which belongs \vith the ueedlecase (Xo. 89371 
[127(5]), is of precisely the same form and dimensions. 

There appeared to be little if any variation among those which we 
saw. Capt. Lyon^ figures two similar thimbles from Iglulik, which 
are described on page 537 of the same work as being made of leather. 
The flaps, however, seem to be only semicucular and not folded over, so 
that the shield consists of only one thickness of leather. 

A similar thimble with theflaj) also not tblded is used at (Jumlx-rland 
Gulf.^ 

The other pattern, of which we brought home nine specimens, is rep- 
resented by No. 89389 [1191], which belongs with the set of bone needles 
of the same number. It is a tube, open at both ends, oue of which is larger 
than the other, made by bending round a strip of spUt walrus hide and 
se-wing the ends together. It is 0-4 inch long and 2-1 in ciicumference 
at the larger end. It is worn smooth with handling, and impregnated 
with grease and dirt and marked with small pits where it has been 
pressed against the butt of the needle in use. 

Four other old thimbles (No. 89393 [1194], ti-om Utkiavwin, are nuule 

' Formerly tlioy used the bones of Uahes or thf very fluf l)oui-a of liirila insteail of needli-s. I ■r.mty.. 



■■ Theit 


■ own clamsT nee(U.> 


i .,)■ Iio 


ne. 


I'.nr 


KumUeu 


idso spealis 


of "Steel 


needliv 


lorl. 


mu- 1 


(Contributions, p. 2r. 










•Parry, 


Second Vo; 


v.. pI. "PI 


)OSite )) 


. .'■.50, 


Fis. 


'Boas, • 


Central Esk 


imo, p. -i-J 


:4, Fig. 


47:1 a 


ud K 



320 



POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 



in the same way. but are a trifle larger. As they sliow uo ucedle-marks, 
they were probably used only as fiuger guards. The remaiuiiig four are 
siniUar to the above, but newly made, for sale. 

A most peculiar thimble, the ouly one of the kind srcii, is shown iu 
Fi-'- ;«(;« (No. «!«'••-' lll!).j] from Utkia\ win, lirl.Mi-iiiu with the large 
bone ueedle of tlu- sanu^ number already desnU.ed an.l tigured). This 
is made of a sin-it' piici- of walrus ivory, browned with age, and the 
round shallow sorNet is lor tlie butt of the needle. The ends of the half 
rin-are slightly fxpandrd and iiotclu'd on the outside to receive a string 
p) Complete tlu- ling so tliat it can lie fitted round the linger, with the 
flange in the same position as tlie i.ad of a leather thimble. 

Needles are Icept in a <'ase (ujyami), consisting of a tube of bone or 
ivorv abour ."« nv (i inches long, through which is drawn a broad strap of 
er furnished with a knot at one end 
to kee]i it from slipping wholly through. 
Into one side of this strap the needles 
are thrust obliquely, so that when the 
strap is pulled iu they are covered by the 
tube. To the other end of the strap is 
usually attached an ivory snap hook for 
fastening the ueedle case to the girdle of 
the pantaloons. These ueedle cases are 
made of two slightly difterent patterns, of 
which the first is represented by No. 89365 
[1277], Fig. 327a. It is of white walrus 
ivory, 4i inches long, and the strap is of 
.seal thong about 11 inches long and 0-3 
inch wide. At one end of this is a pear- 
shaped knob of wah'us ivory, which is 
shouldered off at the small end and worked 
into a short flattened shank perforated 
with a large eye, through which the end 
of the straji, which is cut narrow, is thrust. 
Itisfastt'oed hy doubling it back and sew- 
ing it to tlie standing part. A sky-blue 
t rans|i;irent glass bead is inlaid in the large eud of the knob. The other 
end of I lie straji is fasteued iu the same way into a trauverse slot iu the 
end of the belt hook (ti'tklbwiii) of ivory, 4-7 inches long. 

I'liis ])attern appears to be usually made of walrus ivory. Only one 
of tlie six brought home is of bone, and this is an uuusually small one, 
only 3-(i inches loug, made for sale. The usual length is 4A to 5 
inches. No. .S!W(i3 [110.5], Fig. .327/^, from Utkiavwih. is a tulie \-ery much 
like the one described, but is ornamented with an incised pattern colored 
with red ocher, ami has a dittereutly shaped belt hook. When the latter 
is hooked over the girdle the ring is pushed up the shank over the point 
of tiu" hook till it fits tight, and thus keeps the hook ti-om slipping off 
the belt. 




Flii^ 327.— Xeedte cases with litlt liooks 



"""""'"■i NEEDLE CASES. 321 

ViSi. :i:lS,( (X„. ,S!t;;(J4 | V2i:',\ th.n, rtkiavwin) is ;,n.,Il„.r iv„ry nrr.ll« 
case, Jr-7 iuclie.s louy. The rube \v:is (nice (iiiiaiiicrilcd with incisril 
patterns, Imt these are almost wliolly woin olT by conslaiil handliu" 
Tlic kiiol) is cai-vod int.. an oniameutal sliaiic. Iiavin- a ciiclr ,.r sfx 
round kn.ibs r,„ind flic uii.ldl,-. It lias b.^ii su-.-esh'd tlial lliis is 
meant to n'pivs,.nt a cloud berry (Ilubns cliama-morus). a IVuil known 

to the •■Xunatanmiun-tlioii-li ii,,t at 1> t Kairou. The h is a 

Sliaphook very much like those ilescribcd in eoniH.cti, .11 wiih the ik-iiiii'' 
weif;lits. but hnni'v (.'i inches Ion.-) '^ 

and very broad at the upiiei 
which is made into a broad riiij; 
The point of a steel needle still stick 
iug in the flesh side of tlie 
shows how the needles are ( 
witji the points tow 

No.S0.370 [lo;;;;]. also from rtkiav 
;nob,l)nt the end of the 
stiap is kept from slipjiinj; tlirou; 



itcliin- it with a stitch of sinew. I 
: has a broad thit snap hook similar \:\ 

. tl,,^ r.^.f l.,,t ,.,,f .... n 1 :..... \ 1 




the hist, I 
ornamentaj sc:i 
ornamented wit 
(I wii 

No.:,.;^7^|7|is 



. , ' witli l)elt hook; 

'f I''"'" slipping 
through by knottin.i; the end or tyin.;; ( 

some sneh oliject too lar.i:e to .i^o tliroiigh the tid»e. Xoiie 
belt hooks except one new and rou.uhly made si.ecimen. 

These bone tubes arc appaivntl\ older than the neat ivory cylinders, 
and it is not unlikely that the liell hook was not invented till the former 
was mostly oul of fashion. No. S!);ii;i [ll.';:!'.»|. Fig. ;!1.'S/; fi'om Utkiavwln. 
is one of these which lias for knob one of tin- hirge dark blue glass 
beads which used to bring such enormous prices in the early days of 
Arctic tiading. and which are still the kind most highly prized. The 
!t ETII 21 



322 



[XT BAKROW ESKIMO. 



(Mill of ilif strap is cut narrow, yiasscil through the bead, and kuotti-d on 
tliiM'ud This case carries a lialf-do/.«'U of the old-fashioned 1 xiiii' iieeiUe.s, 
which appear to he neuuiue. It is 3-7 iuches long and, n)ughly spealv- 
ing, (1-1 in diameter. No. 893G9 [1201], also from Utkiavwin, resembles 
the'above. but lias a wolverine's toe sewed to the eud of the strap. ISTo. 
8!);571 [127(1]. from rtkiavwin, also has the to.- of a wolverine for a knob, 
and has a belt hook with two ton-u.'s made of reiu.leer antler. No. 
S!i:iti(i [n;i7]. from rtkiavwii""i. is a hi.ulily ornamented case of this 
pattern, wiiicli has a short cyhiidrical knob, also ornamented. No. 
S'.t.-'.ii.s |1((.S'.(|. from I'lkiavwin. is not made of bird's bone, but is apiece 
of a loll"- hone from some mammal, ami has a brown bear's toe for a 
knoll. No. s'.»:;(i7 |l.'.:!li|, from tlie same village, is roughly made of a 
branch of antler, .l-U inches loiii; and O-S wide, hollowed out. It has a 

knob of whale's bone, but no belt 1 k, the end of the straji being- knotted 

into a leather thimble of the tirst iiattern. Of the six specimens of this 
].atterii in the collection only the Ib'st is a genuine old imph'iiient. All 

Tills kind of necdh' <-ase is \cry commonly used thronghouf Alaska, 
as is shown by tlK' enormous collections in the National Museum brought 
home liy various explorers. Nelson, Turner, Dall and others. The needle 
case from Iglulik, tiguri'd by ('apt. Lyon.' resembles the second or older 

nor bi'lt hook. To the <Mids of the straj) are hung thimbles "and other 
small articles liable to be lost." ' l>r. Sini)>son' sjieaks of the needle ea.se 
ill use at Point l".ai-|-o\\, lint merely describes It as "a narrow strip of 

skill ill which the (lies are stuck, with a tube of lioiie, ivory, or iron 

to slide ilown over them, and ke|>t from slipping otf the lower eud by a 
knoll or large liea.l." This appears to refer <inly to the second or older 
liattciii. 

Tlic-oldTashioiicd ring tliimbles were usually carried on the belt hook 
of the iieedlccasi'. lint iiiodeiii thinililes re<iuire a box. These boxes 
(kigiunu), which are usually small and cylindrical, also serve for holding 
thread, beads, and all sorts of little trinkets or kuickknacks, and many 
of tbem are so old that they were evidently used for this purpose long 
before the iiitr<iducti<in of metal thimldes. Little tin <'anisters, spice 
lioxes. etc.. are also used Ibr the same purjiose nowadays. We brought 
home thirtei'iioftiiese boxes, of which No. .S!(4()7 [ll."iS] Fig. 32!lrt has been 
chosen as the type, it is a iii.'ceof the lieaiii of a stout aidler, 4-3 inches 
long, cut olf s(|iiare on the <mii1s aii<i hollowed out. Into the large end 
is littcil a tlat bottom of thin iiiiie, fastened in by Ibur little treenails of 
wood. The cover is of the same material. It is hehl on by a string of 
sin. 'w braid about 11 im-h.'s long, whi.'li passes out thr.ingli the lower 
of tlie t«o little hoh's on one side of the lx>x, being hehl by a kn.d at 



TRINKET BOXES. 



:V23 



the end, iu tliioujili the miiicr. tl 


cii (lut and in 


in the middle of the eover, and 


)ut thnmgli ; 


the box. Pulliujj;- the end of tli 


s string dra\ 


into its place. 




Some of the ivmaiiiiiii; l.oxfs 


arc niaih' id' 


from -i-T to .S inches. The last 


is, iiuwever. 


the others being about ."> incli.-s 


ong. Tlic c, 


by strings much in tlic manner i 


l.'scrilM'd. and 


of wood, though two uhl boxes 


lave both •■nt 


has a top of hard bone. The 


ast is a sp,.ci 


These boxes are sonietiniesorna 


iiented on tin 


colored re(l or blackened, eithe 


■ conventiona 



■d lines, 
ig. :V2\\I, 




(No. Sy-lO.") [i:5;5,"")l, from rtkiavwiu) or figures of nu-u and anim; 
Fig. ;J2y6- (Mo. oGOLJ |41 ] from the same village). The toinier i 
box, 4-7 inches long, and has the wooden ends both shouldert 
tightly. The cover is worked witli a string. 

No.'ofiOir. [41 1 on tin- other hand is very old, and has lost it 
The wooden bottom is shouldered and liehl in with treenails. ' 
face is elaborately ornauuMded with incised and blackened 
Ifc is divided by longitudinal lines into four nearly e(iual ])a 
which the figures are disjxised as follows (the animals all bein 
sented as staiuling on the longitudinal lines, and facing tow 
right, that is, toward tin- .ijien .-nd of the box): On the first p 
4 reindeer, alternately a buck and a (hie. followed by a imm in 
and over his head t\v<. small -'circles and dots," one above tli 



324 



POINT r.Al 



IM( 



s. t\>]\o 
d, ;i ni 



left . 
b(>l( 



.•i iloixs. 



the II 

Th 

The 



ii\ ail' n-itn'Sfiitcd sirictly in profile, so ;is to show 
!• aniliT t'Mcli. On lln- sec. )ii(l inuK-l are -4 deer, all 
mail w irli a Imw sliiiii;- across his back. On the 
iiiiihllc appears to he ealhng 2 dogs, who, at the 
I ra w i nu' a railed sled. Keversed, and on the npper 
, is a man pusliinj;- behind a sinjilar sled drawn 
id dog- has stopped and is sitting down un his 
<, like the reindeer, are all strictly in profile and 
:i'd. In the fourth iiancl are :■> reindeer followed 
iak. and upside down, above, a deer withont legs, 




-Trii 



to be swimming in the water, and a \ei\ lude hguie ot a man 
dak. Tlie.se figures probably represent <i( tual o( ( nirences. 



supiM.se( 
in his k 
forming a sort of record. 

Fig. 3;{0a (>."(). SOfOS [i;^71J from Sidaru) is a piece of stout antler, 
4-7 inches long, wliirli has the bottom of pine fitted tightly in without 
fastenings. The covei- is of wood, covered, to make it fit tight, with 
parchiiient, apparently shrunk on and puckered on the npper siu'face. 
A thick hank of untwisted .sinew is fastened as a handle tlu-ough the 
middle of the cover. This box is old and dirty, and contains an unfin- 
ished tiiiit arrowhead. No. 5050.5 [.59 J from ijtkiavwIQ, is a new box, 
closed at The ends with thick shouldered pings of pine wood. The tube 
is .s inciies long and ornamented with a conventional pattern of incisetl 



MiKuu™., TKIXKKT lid 

Fm 5!()/y(Xo Vt4(L' |1 !-,'l| iNotioiii I 
mateiial ot \a1ii(1i it in in id. It i. ,,i 
common .iiitlei lM)\e> hut i-, niah ol 
the butt end ot the <'s />Mns ol i ln^. 
walllis, LUt ott sqUciK ind Imllowc d dut 
ami Las emls ot liaid \\ li d( s hom Its 
Itu^th IS 4 2 mdi. s No VI4() [U. 
Ti^ iJltiomSiduu i^iiiuh ot tli. h 
lo\\buttof I ^ood si/( d w iliiistiisk 
imlics loiij, It h IS I 1,1 itl\ titt 
-n-oodni bottom, litld ui witli (. ti< 
nails tx\() ot non ind tout ot wo< 
The box has been. IK ktd lud -^phr md 
lilt iidi d with stir. h. s 
ot -in. w 111.1 ^^hll. 
b..ii. I ..nil 11 .,,11 
M uti.iii il intt( Ills II. 
mcis.d on til. h()\ a 



3-25 





n\L\ \. pt.ubu box is sli.,\\i. Ill 1 1_ _ (Ni, ,(,,s,i 

^7] hoiu Utkmwin) Tins i- <,t . omp i< t whit. h.in. , 

^Mth a tilt wooden bottom I .1., n.,t le. .ill. .r -. . iiu 

un othei boxes ot the s im. s.iit 

I u ^33 (No ^4409[137J]) is tli. tip.,t iw iliustusk 

Fn i) -Po 1 ^ iij. ^1^ ^jij^ hollowed out int., i s.nt ot ti isk s nu lies 

l.m^, tlosul at the 1 iifit fndb\ x fl it wood, u bottom, t isti m. I in with 

tieenails and at th. sin ill . ml b\ i stopiui ot s.itt w.i.id 

III. III. 1st ])(( all a box .it ill ho 

. vn is shown in Fu >>4(\o )(> i 

l-'J tioiii I tki n win) till .nih sp. . 

imn ot til. I 111.1 s.,n it is 

111. h.s l.)ii_ 111 1.1. ot i.in.k.i iiitl. 

tx.ell. nt iiiiu. ol I 1.111.1. .1 l\ii 
on Its 1. tt si.l. with tht h. 1.1 win. 
his n,, uithis tiun.il .hiwii 111. I t.i 
th. 1. tl ill. h^s m tol.L.l 1 
uun-t th. h. 11\ the toi.l. _- wii 
th. Ii...ils p.niitiii, 1)1. 1 w 11.1 tl 
liiiiil ho.its p tin, toiw 11.1 11 




bin. _li- 



ds 







mill ..1 
lonii.l.. 


ih. t 
oil win 


ps ,,t 
h tl 


th. 1 
1 eii 11 


tion witl 


th. 


ttifu.lt 


mil th. 


w.ll 


nakt^ 




32fi 

tliMi t 
of the 



TllK rOINT BARKOW ESKIMO. 

„. iiiKiuv is meant to represent an unborn fetus. The wliole 
body Is hollowed, the aperture taking up the wbole of the l)ut 
;,„d '( lose.l by a tlat. tliiek phig of soft wood. A round peg of 
wood i> dmen in to dose <in aindentil 
hole lust ibo\( the left shouldu The 
bo\ is old and disi olou d uid ^^ oi n smooth 
\Mth iinuh h mdlimr 

H.ikU these little woikboxt s au made 
ot b^sK^t^^olK We obt lined font sped 
Hit us ot these sm ill b iskets, ot vbidi 
No -)G-)(.4 [ss] Fig > . uMl bi 1 It i-u 
ma .una ipiiiiu), ^\Ill i m i ili '\ I 
1 he net k is of blac k 
iiubes louu, and his 
the iniddl* of vlinh 
dh ot a pie(C ol hiu 
loiu "huh sii\es to tie up the moiitl 
ihebisktl ai)i>eais to be made ot hue 




I ^eitual scam, to 
IS seved tlu mid 
seal thong, a foot 

>ii\es to tie up the 

ijipeais to be made 



tui_. Ol iioi^oltlK \\illo%\ \\ith tliL baik iemo\td iiid is made li\ 
NMudin, m o-iei spiialh into the sliajie of the basket, and ^\l ippiii, 
a naiiinv splint spn ilh aionud the two .idjatent p.iits of thi^ . idi 
tuin of the si.lmt biin^ sepaiated tioiii the next b\ a turn of tht siu 
(eiding tui rii( othei b.isket fiom I'tkLUWiu (No. .-)0-)f)T fl3>]) is 
almost''e\.utl\ like this, but lugn (i"> luthes in di.imetei .»ud 2-i 
hi^lD.aml Inshok-iound tlK top of tlie iie(ktoi the di aw stung 
-iwi) l.i-kd^ tiom -sid nil .lu of thi sum niatni il llld^^olkm<ln 



I 1,111 ^..IIHUhlt hi, CI 111 
, dllhlC III -h.|M IV .how 

I i_ ..(, N 



Mil- w I- th 






1. |,iol,ild\ nor 



il Mil- h I- . iM.,! MIX ^^^ ^^ __ 

atl.'iitioii to the fact tliat the '"'""' 

iiieth.idof weaving niiploycd in making these baskets is the same as 
that nsci l.y tlie Apachrs ami Navajos. who have been shown t,, l,e 
linguistically of the same stock as the Athabascan or Tinne group of 
Indians of th,' N<,vrli. Tlie tirst basket cllect.Mi, No. r,mU [SS], was 
said by the ouiMT t,, ha\c cmie from tlie--great river" ill the south. 
Now. tlie nam.' Kuwnk or K,,wak, applieil to th.' western stream How- 
iiig inr,, Ibitliam Inh't. means simply -givat river," and this is the 
i-egioii where tlie l^skimo come into very intiiuate commercial rekitious 
with In, bans ,.f Tinne st,),'k. ' Therefore, iu cousideratiou of the Indian 



1885. 



13. 



HASKKTS. H27 

Worklliillisliii> ot these baskets, and tlie stateiiieiil llial one ol llieiii 
came from the "gTeat river, south," I am well eoin ineed ilial iliey were 
made by the Iiidiaus of the icjiioii between the Koyukuk and Silawik 
Elvers, and vSoM by them to the Knwhnmiun. whcnee I hey coidd easily 
find their way to Point Uairow throiinii tin' iiands of tiie •• Niinalan 
miuu" traders. 

The Eskimo of Alaska south of Il.aini; Strait make and use Was 

kets of many ])atterns. bnt east of I'oint i'.arrow l)askets are exeeed 

in.i;ly rare. Tin' only mention of anytliin.u .if 

kind will he found in l.\(,ifs.loiunal.' lie 

tionsseein-al l.iiiuhk a -small roiin.l has- 

eoini.osed of -rass in jneeisely the same 

manner as those eonstrueted by the Tiblioo, in 

the southern i.art of Fe/./.an. and a-reein- with 

them also in its shape." Now, tliese Afrieaus 

nndie baskets of invcisely the same -.-oiled" 

w..rk (as I'rof .Mas,>n calls it) as th.'Tinne, so 

that in all laobability what L.von saw was one 

o|- these same baskets, earri.'d east in trade, 

oth.'r w.'stern .ibj.'.'ts alrea.ly r.'ferr.Ml t.). 

rhe name i'nna aiipiie.! t.. tlies.^ baskets at 

I'.iint Marrow (th.' other two names apix'ar to 

siiniil>' ■•bat;" or receptacle) corres])onds to 

• Cr.'enlan.lii- amat, the long thin runners 

111 the root of a tr.'.', "at present nse.l in tlie 

■ Kairopeanbasketwork," (b.'.-aus.' tli.'.\' had no 

s,, small)— Grvinhin.lske Ordli.i-. 

I'tkiavwin. is a peiMiliar bag, the only ■ of 

I.' sam.' purpose as the b.ixes and baskets Just 
deserib.'.l. It is the stomach of a jiolar liear. with the mnseuhir and 
glandular layers removed, dri. Ml and carefully worke.l down with a skin 
scraiier into something lik.' g.il.U.eat.'r's skin. This makes a larg.', 
n.'arly s]ili.'rical bag 7i in. -lies in diameter, ..f a pale brownish col.ir, 
sott ami u I inkl.'.l. with" a mouth Cinches wi.le. A small li.ile has b.-en 
mended by drawing the skin together and winding it round tightly on 
the inside with sinew. 




Kiiwkx i(ii<l V'i 


diUrs. 


— Lik 


ofl'oinf r.ano« 
(•oin|,lft.'ly (l.'.-ki 
coi-kpit in wiiicli 


Ihi' 


the k 


aj;v(.fl,oyli lo 

less p'nrnilly ci 


npl.n 


11(1 cai 

(■(I tlK 


been (li-s.-rilir,!. 


ex.ci 


It tiie 


ami iHThajps till 


(SC o 


f Sili( 


kiiiak is used mi 


ly (111 


lin-tl 


in the sea in tiic 


IK'i-l 


ilxirlu 


the villa-rs in tl 


le sill 


inner 



328 ' TIIK POINT HAUK(J\V KSKIMO. 

jrEAN8 or LOCOMOTION ANM) I'UANSPOltTATION. 



call the rest (if the Eskimo race, the natives 
iiiak. (11 iian-dw, light, skiu-covered cauoe, 
•ejit at the middle, where there is a liole or 
its. Although nearly every male above the 
n manageone of these eanoes, they are much 
;ni by any other iOskinid u liose lialiits have 
' -Arctic highlaiidcrs.- \\li<, lia\c no boats, 
■ria and their Clinckclie c(iniiiani(ins. The 
ig the season nf (ii>eii water, und then but little 
hoodof the villages. Those who remain near 
use tiie kuiak chietly for making the short 
exeursidiis Ki the lakes and streams inland, already desciibed, after 
reindeer, and liir making short trips from camp to eaniii along the coast. 
At Pernyu the.\ are used in setting the stake-nets and also for retriev- 
ing fowl which have fallen in the water when shot. 

According to Dr. Simjison' the men of the parties which go east in 
the summer travel in their kaiaks after reaching the open water "to 
make room in the large boat for the oil-skins." We obtained no infor- 
mation regardingthis. It is at this time, probably, that the kaiak comes 
sjiecially in play tor s]iearing molting fowl and "tiapiiers", and for catch- 
ing seals with t he ki'ikiga. They manage tlie kaiak witli great skill and 
confidence, but we never knew them to go out in rough weather, nor 
did we ever see the practice, so fretpiently described elsewhere, of tying 
the skirts of the waterproof jacket round the coaming of the cockpit so 
as to exclude the water. 

Itshouhl. however, be borne in mind that from the reasons above 
stated our opportunities for observing the use of the kaiak were very 
limited. At all events it is certain that the people depend mainly on 
the umiak, not only I'or traveling, but for hunting and fishing as well, 
which places them in strong contrast with the Greeiilaiiders, who are 
esscnl hilly a race of kaiakers and have conseqitently developed the boat 
and its appendages t(i a high state of perfeetiou. 

We brought Ikiiiic une complete full-sized kaiak, with its paddle, No. 
57773 [539], Fig. .J.'.s,! and /(, which is a very fair representative of the 
canoes used at I'oint Barrow. This is 19 feet long and l.s inches wide 
amidships. The gunwales are straight, except for a very sli^^hi shcei at 
the bow, and the cockpit is '21 inches long and 18J inches w ide. it has 
a frame of wood, which appears to be all of spruce, held together by 
treenails and whalebone lashings, and is coveied with white-tanned seal- 
skins with tlie grain side out. The stoutest part of the frame is the two 
gunwales, each 3^ inches broad and .^-inch thick, tiat, and rounded off on 
the upper edge inside, running the whole length of the boat and meet- 

'Ol>. lit.],. 2(!J. 



mg it tilt sttiii ukI stiiii _i iilu ill\ ti|)(iM 
CciLlnud Theiibs, ot Mliuhthu, u, ,( 1, i- 
iie.iily a halt tiiclt , tlms iii ikuu i U "^li ipt < 
3iii(1i\\k1< 1>\ \ null tliKk tilt oil tin onfd s 
Til. n ukIs 111 inoitiMil mt.i tli. lnw.i ..U, 

t. 11. .1 with W.MI.l. II tu.ii Ills Ih. \ U. Ml I 

(Itiuast ^1 ulii ill\ III SI/, t.ii. ui.l ill ( 
eciiudistaut sti. iksiuiiiiiiu liiK md ilc 'in 







520 


1 up .III III. 

si Imis III!.. 


'"n."l,.' 


L. ll 


1 iiiHlslnps. 


.1 1 


n.l n. 


..1 III. ^111 


u ll. II 


.1 1 is 


II iImiiiI . Ill 


ll.s ,|, 


ll iii.l 


)lllsl,|. „l ll 
<ll l.> 1 III. Iix 


Mil. III. 


s. \ . 11 

1 III. ll 




thick, ot whuhtlu ujiiui out i. li siil. i. i. h. s u. itlin stem iioi stdii 
Thtse aie lashul t.) tla iibswitli i stiiiMit « li il. boiu, ■\\hKh makts a 
louiid tin 11 about .)iu lib, ib.iM rh. sti. ik ^miu undei the lib hist, 
and a simihii tiiiii loiiiid tilt iit \t iib b. l.iw ili. sti. ik(lu > >'') 

Th«ieis a stout k.. Isoii li. mi . lli]iti. il in s. .ti.rn nii.l. i tli kj.it 

only. This ih 4J f.'.^l Ion-, ali.nit _' in. li.'s .1. v[>, and l.;l iiu Iks \m.I. , .ind 

is fastened in the mid. II.' an.l aliont 1 lo.it 

from each end by a si rip of wlial.'b.nic. wlii.li 
passes thnmo-li a tiansv.Ts.. Iiol.' in tliek.'.O 
son, round tin- rib on ■ si.l.-. ha.'k rliroii.i;h 



^ 



f'"' k''<'ls"n. a ■.iiiii.l 11,.. nl. .hi the u .^_^_^.^_^_^ 

si.le iui..... Tl,.. ..|m1 is wra|.p..d spirally II M II H || 

round th.' turns .m one side an.l tnek.'d int.. ''"' '■:^^^',:';.^;;;;1,,';!, I;;:';,"'''- '"■ 
til., hoh. in tlie k.'elson. Th.' .l.'.k l..-anis 

ar.' iiol .piite s.) stout as 111.' ribs an.l are ni..rtise.l into tli.' iii.|.er .■d,i;-e 
.,f lli.'.-uiiwalesa littl.- b.'L.w th.' l.'V.'l ..f tli.. d.-.k. Th.. ends are 
se..|ir...l by lasliiii-s or stitt-lL's ..f s.iiii.. iiiat..rial wlii.-li ar.. .•onc.-al.xl 
by th.. skin eov..!-. Tli<.y ar.. ab.iiit as far apart as th.. ribs, but neither 
exactly ..orresp.inil ii..r br.'ak Joints with tli.. latt..r. 

At th.. after .'ii.l of til.. .■.>.-kpil is an ..\tra st.iiil 1 
siijiiiort th.- ba.-k, P,' in<.h..s wi.l.. an.l llir....-.piaiter 
nminl...! .'djics, the eii.ls ..f which aiv appaivntly la 
Th.. liist beam forwartl of th.' ...M-kiiit is 
a natural crook foruiiiij;- a U^1'''I>''1 -i''' 
V-shaped knees, thickest in th.. mi.l.ll.. . 
eii.ls. sii.-cessively decreasing in lH.ii:ht to I 
straight. This makes the rise in th.' d.'.'k 



r thwart to 
thh.k, with 
itly lashe.l witli th.nig. 
d...l, and ajipeais to be 
.1 is folio we. 1 by seven 
..|ilar-...l a littl.. at the 
.■v.-iith. whi.-h is almost 



i3o<> 




Xz 



THE POINT HARKOW ESKIMO. 

eriiiitc (leek licaiii is Inaccd to the jivuiwale at each eud by 
ashing- of whalehoiii', luiiiiing from a trausverse hole in the 
bout 1 inch from the gunwale to a correspondiiig 
the gunwale, three-quarters iuch from the lower 
Tiie lashing- makes three or four turns through 
oles and around tlie lower edge of the guuwale, and 
1 is wrai>i)ed spirally round these turns for their 
.;th. Al)ove these beams a narrow batten runs 
re and aft amidsliips fi'om eockpit to stem and stern, 
ortised into the two bi'ams at the cockpit, and lashed 
the others with whalebone. The coaming- of the cock- 
t is made of a single flat piece of wood, If inches broad 
larter inch thick, bent into a hoop -with the ends 
jiing about (t inches and " sewed" together with stitches 
of whalebone. Eound the upper edge of this, on the out- 
side, is litteil a •' half-round" hoop, which appears to be 
made of willow, three-quarters by one-third inch, with its 
ends lajiped aliout 4 inches, this lap coming over the Joint 
of the larger hoop. It is fastened on by short stitches of 
whalebones about 5 or (i inches apart, leaving room enough 
between the two hoops to allow a lacing- of flue whalebone 
to pass through. The coaming is put on over the edge of 
the skin cover, which is drawn up tight inside of the coam- 
ing and over its upper edge and fastened by a lacing of 
whalebone, which runs spirally round the outer hooj) and 
through holes about one-half inch apart in the edge of the 
cover. 

The coaming tits over the crown of the arch of the for- 
ward deck l)caiii and rests on the middle of the thwart aft, 
and is secured ])y lashings of wlialeb(me, which pass through 
lioles in the coaming and over its ujiper edge. The forward 
lashing nmkes tiiree turns, which pass round the beam -with 
the end wrapi)ed .spirally round the parts between beam 
and coaming; the after lashing, four similar turns, which 
through a hole in the tliwart and around its forward 
On eacli side is a stout verti.-al brace of wood 3^ 
s long, 1 inch wide, and one-half ineli thick, with 




■adth 



nd Co 

ale, \ 
ig-, 1> 



tits on t. 



out paral- 
the upper 
ceives the lower 
utside through a 



cover is (jf sis sealskins, put together heads to tails, 

t there is only one longitudinal seam, which runs 

■ along the deck. The transverse seams, which 

udy aci-oss the bottom are double and sewed 



Mt^Ki-ocB.] KAIAKS. •};51 

with a bliud stitch, like the seiims ahcndy dcsciihcd on lli.- walcrprdor 
bouts, from the inside. These seams arc ucaih 1.' iiiclio wide. 'I'hc 

longitudinal seam is sewed in the same \\:\\ li tlii' outsi<ic, hm 

not so In-oadly lapped, with the edge turned over info ;i roll. There 
are two pieces of stout thong stretched :icross the dedi. oni' forward 
of the cockpit and the other aft, which scrse to fasten arlich's lo 
the deck. The thong passes out through a h.ilc In tin- gunwale, one- 
half inch from the upper edge and (i inches from the cock))it, on the 
starboard side forward and on the port side alt, ami is secured by 
a knot in the end inboard. The otlun- end i)asses in tlirough a cor- 
responding hole in the other gunwale and is loosely knotted to the ileck 
beams, so that the line can be slackened olf m- tautened np al |ilcasnre. 
Three feet from the bow is a becket for holding sixars. etc.. (-istcmd 
into two little holes bored diagonally outward through the cd-c of the 
gunwales. It is of two parts of seal thong, one pari twisted round the 
other, but is broken in the middle, so that only one half of it is left. 
The weight of this kaiak in its present dry condition is .'.L' pounds. 

This is about the ordinary pattern of kaiak used at i'oint iiarrow, 
and is a medium-sized one. These boats are made to tit the size of the 
owner, a youth or small man using a mtu'h smaller and ligliter kaiak 
than a heavy adult. They are never made to carry more than one per 
son, and I have never heard of their being used by the women. In 
carrying the kaiak across the land from lake to lake, it is held hoi i 
zontallj' against the side with the bow pointing forward, 1>.\ thrusting 
the forearm into the cockpit. We never saw them carried on the head. 
in the manner practised at Fury and Hecla Straits.' 

In entering the canoe the man takes great care to wijie liis feet clean 
of sand and gravel, which would work down under the timl)crs aud 
chafe the skin. The canoes is laiinched iu shoal water, preferably 
alongside of a little bank, and the man steadies it by sticking down his 
paddle on the outer side and holding it with his left hand, while he bal- 
ances himself on his right foot, and with his free hand carefully wipes 
his left foot. He then steps with his left foot into the kaiak, and still 
balancing himself with the help of the paddle, lifts and wipes his light 
foot before he stei)S iu with that. He then jiushes his feet aud legs for 
ward under the raised deck, settles himself in a pro])cr position for 
trinuning the l)oat, and shoves oft'. As elsewhere, the kaiak is always 
])roi)elled with a i)addlc. 

No. S<.ll'4() |.");}!)|. Fig. .'UO. is the padiUe which belongs to the kaiak 
just described. It is 7 feet long. The siiaft .joining th.' blades is 
elliptical iu section, with its greatest width at riglit angles to the plane 
of the blades so to present the greatest resistance to the strain ol' pad- 
dling. The shape of the blade, with rounded tip and thin rounded 
edges is admirally adapted to give the blade a clean entry int(j the 

I Lyou, .Tournal, ]). 233. See also Capt. Lvim's figure in P.-irry's 2d Voy.. pi. opposite p. 274. 



.'5;)2 THE POINT HARROW ESKIMO. 

water. The whole is very iieafly and smoothly made, au<l tlie bhide.s 
are painted witii red oelier. This is a imicli more etlective i>addk* than 
those used liy the (ireeidaiiders and otlier eastern Eskimo, the blades 
of w hich. |irohal)l\- iVoni tiie searcity of wood' are very narrow, not 
exeeedini: 1 ineiies in widtli. In (ireeulaiid aiul Labrador, also, tlie 
idailes aie snuareat the ends like tliose of ordinary oars, and are usually 
edj;'ed with bone to i)revent them from splitting. The absence of this 
hone ed.nins' on the paddles from Point Barrow perhaps indicates tliat 
tlii> are meant for summer use only and not for working among the 
ice. In aecordancc with the general custom in northwestern America, 
the (!oul)lc iiiaded paddle (i)autifi) is used only when great speed is 
desired, as in chasing game. Ft is handled in the usual way, being 
grasped witli botii iiands near the middle, and di|(i)ed alternately on 
opposite sides. For ordinary traveling they use a singled)laded padille 
(afiuni. of the same sliaiie as tliose used in tlie umiak but usually some- 
what snuiller, of which we neglected to procure a specimen. With this 
they make a few strokes on one side, till the lioat begins to sheer, then 
shift it over and make a few stroki-s on the other side. They do this 
with very great skill, getting considerable speed, and making a remark- 
ably straight wake. The use of this single paddle appears t<i be uni- 
versal along the coast of Alaska, from Point Barrow southward, and it 
is also used at the jrackenzie and Ander.son rivers, as shown by the 
models collected by iMacFarlaue in that region. It is, however, 
nnkniiwn among the eastern Fskimo about whom we have any definite 
information on the subject, namely, the Greenlanders, the people of 
IJallin Land, Hudson Strait, and Labrador.^ 

("uri(msly enough the (rreenlanders had a superstition of a sort of 
malevolent spirits called kajariak, w ho were -kayakmen of an extraor- 
flinary size, who always seem to lie met with at a distance from land 
b.^yond the usual hunting grounds. They w.nv skilh'd in the arts of 
sorcery, particidarly in the way of raising M,,inis and bringing bad 
weatlier. Like the luniaiissat |otlier fabulous beings], thi-y use „uc- 
hlndcd imddlrx, Wki' those of the Indians."-^ This traditiou either refers 
back to a time when the ancestors of the Greenlanders used the single 
paddle or to occasional and perhaps hostile meetings between eastern 

'i'liough the kaiak is essentially the same wherever used, it differs 
consideraltly in size and external apjiearanceiu different localties. The 
kaiak of the (rreenlanders is perha|)s the best-known model, as it has 

It IS ;i .unoii^ tart. iu.u. \. i ihit tlir n.n rowr^i kjiak jiatMIrs I have ever seen belonged to some 
h:^ .iiiio that saw m 18, t,, ;ii ];i-..l,it. I, il,; m,],,! , v\ hn livr.l ill :i regiou sufficiently well wootletl to 

• I'.iriiilDnnatioiicoiiciTiiiii^'ili. l.,.i lucr, -ir,i,, i ;,„, ii„i,.|,t< ,1 to Mr. U M. Turner; for the others 
I" till' slaliilar.1 aiilhoritks. 



«i-Ki""" 1 KAiAKs. ;5;{;5 

been ti,uiire(l and (lescrilicil hy imiiiy ;mlliurs. It is (iniic a^ lii;lii and 
sharp as the Pdinr l!;i;ii)W nupih'l. Imt lias a Hal llnor. ilic liiliir licinu 
aufriilar instead of nuiiidcd. an<l it lias (■(iiisidcial)i\ iikut sliccr in thf 
deck, the stem and stern being iirolouucd into i<in.i;(urved |iiiints, uiiich 
project above the water, and are often siiod witli hone <ir ixoi y. The 
coaming of tlie cockpit also is level, <>r only sliglitly raised forward. 
The kaiaks nsed in Haffin Land. Hudson Straits, ami l.aluadui are of 
a very sinular model, but larger and licavirr. having the pnijcctiiii; 
points at the bow and stern rather shoiiiT and i.'ss sharp, and tlie 
coaming of the cockpit somewhat moie raised forward. Itolh of these 
forms are represented by specimens and nunierons models in I lie iniiseuin 
collection.s. I have seen one flat-floored kaiak at l*nin( I'.arrow. It 
belonged to a youth and was very narrow and light. 

The kaiak in n.se at Fury and Hecla Straits, as desciibi^d by (ajit. 
Lyon'' and Oapt. Parry- is of a somewhat different model. a|>pidacliing 
that used at the Anderson River. It is a large kaiak:.'") feet long, with 
the bow and stern sharp and considerably more bent uii than in the 
Greenland kaiaks. but round-l)ottomed. like the western kaiaks. The 
deck is flat, with the cockpit coaming somewhat raised forward." 

In the kaiaks used at the Anderson and Mackenzie rivers, as shown 
by the models in the ifational Museum, the bending n\> of the stem and 
stern posts is carried to an extreme, so that they make an angle of 
about rSO'^ with the level of the deck. The bottom is round and the 
cocki)it nearly level, but suflicieut room for the knees and feet is obtained 
by arching not only the deck beams just forward of the cockpit, but all 
of them from stem to stern, so that the deck sIojjcs away to each side 
like the roof of a house. At Point Barrow, as alrea.ly deseribed. the 
deek beams are arched only Just forward of the eoekpit. and the stem 
and stern are not prolonged. This appears to be the jirevailing form 
of canoe at least as far .south as Kotzebue Sound and is .sometimi-s used 
by the .Malemiut of Norton Sound. At Port Clarence the hea\y. large 
kaiak, .so conimim from Xortim Sound southward, appears to l>e in use 
from Nordenskiold's description, as he speaks of the kaiaks holding two 
persons, sitting back to back in the cockpit.^ The kaiaks of the south- 
western Eskimo are, as far as I have been able to learn, large and 
heavy, with level coamings, with the deck quite .steeply arched fore and 
aft. and with bow and stern usually of some peculiar shape, as shown 
bv models in the Museum. Si>e also Dall's tigurc (Alaska, p. I.").)'^ 



,,,", ,,,i:.:,, ,, 1 I .tu C'apt. Lyons rtescriptioii ri'ferfwl to .ilrav. 

,1 ,,,,,!, I,, ,1 , i : "'■■'■^e. lu lii.s.iounial lie speaks of the co,imini:o 

I,,,;,,,, ,l„,iit 'Mil. Im - lii.i:- : I'i; fill T'l 111 it i.1 aft, while from his fl<;ures the ditt'ereun 

ouriural myself in the .above eomparison simply to ih.- kaiaks used by uiiilonbtivl hskinio 
v eaau.ll referenres to the kaiaks used on tlie Siberian euast by the Asiatle Kskmm aa. 



334 TlIK POINT BARROW E8KIM0. 

While the kaiak, however, differs so much in exterual ai)pearauoe iu 
(iiliercut localities, it is i)robable that in structure it is everywhere 
essentially the same. Only two writers have given a detailed descrip- 
tion of the frameof akaiak, and these are from widely distant loeaUties, 
lol.ilik and western (ireenland, both still more widely distant from 
INiint Barrow, and yet both give essentially the same component parts 
as are to lie found at Point Barrow, namely, two comparatively stout 
'..■iiiiw ales runninii- fr stem to stern, braced with transverse deck- 
beams.' seven stiraks runnin.i;- fore and aft alon.u the bottom, knees, or 
lilis in the form of lioo]is. nnd a hoop for the coaming, Ixmnd together 
with whalebone or sinew.- 




The double-bladed paddle is almost exclusively an Eskimo contri- 
vance. The only other hyjierborean race, besides the Aleuts, who use it, 
are the Yukagirs, who employ it in their narrow dugout canoes on the 
River Kolyma in Siberia.^ Double-bladed paddles have also been ob- 
served in the Malay Archipelago. 

Fig. 341, (No. 565(51 [224] from Htkiavwin) is a very neatly made 
model of a kaiak, 13-3 inches long. It is quite accurate in all its de- 
tails, but has only live streaks on the bottom, and its width and depth 
are about twice « hut they should be in proportion to the length. The 
frame is lashed together with fine sinew and covered with seal en- 
trail. The paddle is also out of proportion. Many similar neatly flu- 



iSiin'n thualiovc was writto 


.1 lioas has pnblishert 


a detailed description of the central kaiaks, in 


which Im says th.r,;ir.(,iilyf..i 


iirstr.-,akshr,si.l,.sth.,l!< 


-rl (CcntralEskimo, p. 480). 


»Df. KaueV .1.-. 111,1 inn tlinn 


,,1, 111, l„,.t tliiil ^v.■hl,^ 


. ,,r th. Hat-bottomed Greenland kaiak and ao- 


COmiKmi«lhy.l,;,„,nn, ,-. nnl, 




1 i,M|.,,i laiit respects. It is in brief as foUows: 


■•The skclct.mi.. 11-1. .1.1,1,1, 


i,,i,.^ iiii.ii ,i! i|,,,,r u 


I.,ri,;„l,.,idc * * ♦ stretching from end 


tu.-ml. « • M„ ii|,|„i ■ 




- ,Al,n 1 i I,, 1, the others. The 


twttom is fr.iui, ■: , 


; , ;,.i, .1111,1 1. 1' ■• 1. 


" .1 rips or hoops, 


«-hi.-hperf..rii. . ,1 ,1 " 


. ■ ,111,1 , ii,- 11, 


1 1 , ! 1 ,1 , 1 uiure thanStolO 


iTi.-li.^slnrMMH., ,1, ■-! , 1 H I,, 


, ,,, 1 ih, ,,,in - ,,1 li , 1 


1 , 11, • 11, 11, bound together 


"■;!,^''''''v:'',r::,i'':::",i 


','^„''\l„, 1, ',',',' 


1 , ■ ill , mil or lip secured 

,,!,,: il , 11,1, 111 -|. I..477.) TtwUl 



..■(•ilicy's Voy 
■Wran(;ell. i 



MrRi..x-H.l I'MIAKS. 335 

ished models were uuide for sale. Tlie natives arc so skillliil in niakiu}: 
them that it is possible that tlicy are in the liaiiit ol iiiakinf;- tliem tor 
the children to play with. I do not, however, recoiled ever seein" a 
child with one. 

r>nl,iks .n„l /,7^•m/^•.-Tl,.. lar-e skin covered o|,cn l,oal. csm-uI iaily 
the .same in model as tliat employed hy almost all Ivskiino, as udl as 
the Alents and some Siberian races, is the chiet means cil' c(nivc\aiice 
by water, for ti-avelinj;-, hnntin;;. and lishin^. Though the udmcn do a 
o-reat share of the work of na\ i^atiii- the Ixiat when a single lainih or 

w(mian's boat, as api)ears Id be the case anionu the (Irccidanders and 
eastern Eskimo generally.' < >n the contrary, women are not admitted 
into the regularly ori;ani/.ed whaling cicws. unless the nmialik can not 
procure men enough, and in the ■■ sciatcli" crews assembled for uabiis 
hunting oi- sealing thei-c are usually at h'ast as man\- men as women, 

and the men work as hard as the wonmn. I d t. however, recollect 

that I ev<'r saw a man imll an oar in the umiak. They appear always 
to use paddles alone. This is interesting in conne<-Tion with the Creen- 
land custom mentioned by Egede in the conlinuaticm of the passage 
Just .pnited: --.Vud when they tirst.setout Ibrthe whale hshin.i;, the men 
sit in a very negligent posture, with their faces turned towards the 
prow, i.ulling with their little ordinary paddle; but the women sit in 
the ordinary way. with their faces towards the stern, rowing with long 

\Vc were unable to bring home any speeimen of these boats on ac 
count of their size, but I''ig. .'Ul', from a i)hotograph by Lieut. Kay, will 
give a good idea of the franu'work. These boats vary considerably in 
si/e, but are usually very nearly the dimensions .,f an ordinary whale- 
boat— that is, about :;(l f.M't in length, with a beam of .'. or C feet and a 
del)th of about L'.J, feel. Th.' boat resembles very iiuich in model the 
American lisherman's dory, having a narrow Hat bottom, sharjp at both 
ends, with (hiring sides, and considerable rake at stem and stern. I'.oth 
tlooraml rail have a strong sheer, fore and att, and the gunwales ex- 
lend beyolul the stem so as to meet at the bow. i'.oth stem and stern 
are sharp nearly to the rail, where they flare .ml and are cut olf sipiarc. 
These boats are e\ceedingl.\ light and buoyant, and callable of consid- 
erable sp.vd when fully nmnn.Ml. They are very -iiuick" m their mo 
tiou and .pute crank till they get down to th.'ir bearings, but bcy.nnl 
that appear to be very sfitf. 

I nevcu' heard of oue being <Mpsi/.ed, though the natives move about 
aboard of them with perfect frtM^dom. The frame is neatly made of pieces 
of driftwood, which it usuallN- takes a considerable time to accumulate.- 

'Kor rxampie: "Forthry tliiiiU it inilifiKiuiug :i luun to row such .a boat, uuless great m--fessity 
requires it." Egede, (Ircc'nlaii.l, |i. Ill- It woiUd be a sc.nnd.il for a man to meddle, i-xrcjit the 
grratest iioi-essity eompols bim t.. bn.l .1 liaiicf Craiitz. vol. 1. j). 149. 

'Part of the deseri|ili..li ..I th, inniak In is taken from 111.- 10. .del l\.,. i&Kt (22.^.|l. as ll..- writer 



336 

A 

iiiidi 



liAKKoW 



SKIMC 



stout squiire tiiiiLiT. ot iRThap.s a inches scantling, runs along the 

He ot the l)ott()iu forming a keel or keelson. This of necessity is 

illv made of several pieces of wood scarfed together and fastened 

1 treenails ;iihI wlKilelione lasliin.^s. At each end it is fastened in the 

L> \\;i\ tu tlie stem aiid steiiipost, wliich are both of the same shape, 

1,1 ;iimI Hat aliiive or inside, 1)ut l>eveled oft" to a keel outside, and 

ing 111' ill a knee, at tlie same time tapering off to the point where 

I liegiiis t(i Hare. Here it is mortised into the under 

(la! block ot wood, widest and thickest on the inboard 

11(1 eoiieaved oti on the under face, to a tliin edge outboard. Itis 

11 hy a traiisN cise lasliing passing througli holes in the end of the 

lid the thickest part of tlie block. Along each side of the bottom. 

It wipuld be the l)ilgc (ila louiid bottom boat, runs a stout streak. 



OW (_, 




timlic 
g.iipi 

to thi 



1 and wiihT than the keelson and set up edgewise. These are 
I apart amidshi|is, but bent together fore and aft so as to be 

I into the stem and sterniiost (see diagram, Pig. 343a). 

llie model tliey are fastened here with treenails, and tliis is prob- 
ilsd t\w. ease on the large canoes. They are spread apart by 
pieces or Hoor timbers, flat rather broad boards laid across the 

II with tiieir ends mortised into tlie bilge streaks. These are 
■I aiiiidships and deeiease regularly in length fore and aft. There 

I'lceiMit then Nika\v:ialu's umiak. On the model they are pegged 

keelson and bilgi' streaks. The ribs are straight, slender, scpuire 

rs. eighteen on each side (on Xikawaalu's umiak : the canoe photo- 
ed hastifteeii). Theseare allot the sauu' length, but fitted obliquely 
outer edge of the bilge-streaks in such a way (see diagram. Fig. 



MURDOCH.] 






UMIAKS. 


34:3b) that those amid 


ship 


s slant eonside 


become gradually more ai 


11(1 in< 


ire erect [\ 


sheer in the lines. Ti 


>tiie 


seril.: 


^.inside, a 


is fastened a streak ( 


>n ea 


ell si( 


Ic, ofah,,, 


streak, running from 


steii 


1 to sl 


cm, and t 


notcbed ends of the 


rihs. 


wher 


c they arc 


bone. These on Nik; 


I\v;i;i 


liu'su 


miak wer. 


2 inches in diameter. 


Sii 


:ch In 


lig pieces 


bly obtained by trad- 


e fro 


m thc 


' Nunatafi 


er 3 feet beyond the 


' stei 


111, to 


which the 


whalebone lashings, 


and 


meet 


at a sliarj 


with whalebone. Oi 


1 th( 


'. mod 


lei, this 1; 


both gunwales and n 


Dund 


1 uikU 


-m.-ath. 


the sternpost in the : 


sami 


■ wav 


as to the 


the upjier surface of 


the 


Idoel 


; so 



istc 



vshing passes thi 
The gunwales ai 
stem, in both ca 



d the hist 





as to form a h.w n 
only 5 or inches. 

Between the pos 
pair of long ribs at each end are 
two pairs of short ribs running 
only from the gunwale to the in- 
side streak. The frame is still 
further strengthened by an out- 
side streak between the bilge 
streak and the inside streak, and 
Nikawaalu's canoe had an extra 
Streak of "half-round" willow out- 
side of the latter. The thwarts rest , 
by whalebone lashings. The Mock 
a high seat for the steersman. ( 'ran 
that the frame of the Greenland iimi 
timlx^rs, lacking ojdy the two outsi 

The cover is made of the skins of 
hide is often used ami sometimes the skin of the polar li.'ar. which 
makes a heaiitifully white cover, but the skin of the bearduil seal is 
preferred, the people from Toint Barrow sometimes making Journeys 
to Waiuwright Inlet in search of such skins, which are dressed with 
their oil in them in the manner already referred to. We were informed 
that six of these skins were reipiired to cover one umiak. They are i)ut 
together in the same way as the skins for the kaiak and sewed with the 
same seam. The edges of th<^ covei' are stretched over the gunwale, 
and laced to the inside streak with a stout thong, which passes through 
holes in the edge of the covi«-. At stem and stern the cover is laced 
with a separate thong to a stout transverse lashing of thong running 
from gunwale to gunwale close to the edge of the posthead. ^ 



iig liil';.- sMcaks tcj ^I. 

iiside streak am 
or head of flic stern-pi 
it/.-s'.lescriiitioiiau.ld 
iak c.msists of essentia 
de streaks. 



the same 



W; 



ETH- 



33S Ti 



)W KSK1M( 



'I'lic coNcr i^ rciiMiM'd in tlic winter and stowed away ou tlie cache 
iVinn' or snnic oilier sale I'lace ( M fifiialii, when preparing to start for 
the spring- deer hunt in l.S,s;5, carefully buried his boat cover in a snow- 
baidc) out of reach of the dogs, an(i the frame is placed bottom up- 
wards on a staging 4 or 5 feet from the ground. 

When they are ready to refit the cauoe for the spring whaling, a hole 
is cut in the sea ice close to the shore, and the cover immersed in the 
sea water for several days to soften it, the hole being covered with 
slabs of snow to keep it from freezing up. Crantz ^ mentions a similar 
custom in Greenland. After removing the hair from the boat-skins 
"they lay them in salt water for some days to soften them again, and 
so cover the women's boats and kajaks with them." When not in use, 
the umiak is drawn up on the beach and usually laid bottom upward 
with tlu! gear, spears, etc., underneath it, but sometimes propped up ou 
one gunwale to make a shelter against the wind. This is a common 
practice in the camp at Pernyu, where there is usually at least one boat 
set up edgewise, sheltered by which the men sit to whittle and gossip. 
In the whaling camp at Imekpun in 1883, the boats which were not 
ready logo out to the open water were laid up bottom up with one end 
resting on a sled set iq) on its side and the other supported by a block 
of snow. They do not appear to be in the habit of using the cauoe for 
a tent, as is said to be the custom among the more southern natives,- 
as they always carry a tent with them ou their journeys. The umiak 
is i)ropelled by paddles, oars, and a sail, and in smooth weather wheu 
the sliore is clear of ice by "tracking" along the beach with men and 
dogs, one person at least always remaining ou board to steer with a 
paddle at the stern. 

The sail, which they are only able to use with a free wind, is square, 
nai-row, and rather high, and is nowadays always made of drilling. Dark 
blue drilling appeared to be the most popular sort at the time of our 
visit. The head of the sail is laced to a light yard, and hoisted to the 
masthead by a halyard through a hole in the latter. The mast is a 
.stout s(iuare pole 1(» or 12 feet long and is set up well forward of amid- 
shijjs, without a step, the square butt resting against a bottom board, 
and held up by two forestays and two ba(kstays. running from the 
masthead to the inside streak. All the n-uinL;. stay-, halyards, towing 
line, etc., are nuulo of stout thong. The ( ireenlanders set up the mast in 
the bow of the nniiaU— asa sailor woidd say, "in the very eyes of her,"^ 
hut as far as I can learn the Western Eskimo all set it up as at Point 
Barrow. 

The oars are very clumsily made with very narrow blades not over 
:i iiu-hes broad. They are about 7 feet long and somewhat enlarged at 
the loom. Instead of i-esting in rowlocks, they are secured by two long 







■Inif- 


itcs. 


>l:i 


Ic (if 

Two 


[■ III] 


|)S, 


, hut 


va,i;i 


■s 


tliat 




loops ot'tbouji' as in the (liaj;i;uii h'ig. Ml. 'I'o ki 

ing the skin on tlic .umi^valc, they lasli tu tlic 

bone. iSTo. S'.m;'.I(; [ll'.iTl fiom LTtkiuvwin is ,.nr ( 

of these oars are cominonly usinl in an umiak, (uu 

and the women row witli great vigor, swinging w 

do not keep stroke. Tlie use of oars is so nnusua 

it would be natnral to suppose that these, jteoplc had adojitcd ihr cus 

toni from the wliites. If this be the ease, tlie rustom icai lied ilieni 

long ago, and through very indirect ehannels. 

Wlien Thomas Simpson, in 1837, bought an umiak fnun some I'oint- 
Barrow natives at Dease Inlet, he bought with it •■ four ot tiieii slender 
oars, whieli they used as tent poles, besides a couple of paddles; lilted 
the oars with lashings, and arranged our strange vessel so well that the 
ladies were in raptures, declaring us to be genuine i;s(iuiman\, and not 
poor white men."' The custom, 
moreover, appears to be wide- 
spread since Lyon speaks of see 
ing in ISlil, "two very clumsy 
oars with flat blades, pulled by 
women."' in the umiaks at Hud 
sou Strait.- It was praeticed at 

,. , . ,, 11. Flc, 344.— ilc-thoilof sliugius: till' iiiiri.t iiiiiiak. 

a still .'ailier «late in (Ireculaiid.' 

While at I'oint Barrow the oars have very narrow blades ami tlie 
double ])a(ldles very broad oiuvs, the reverse seemed to be the ease in 
(ireenland, where the double jiaddle, as already noticed, has blades not 
over .'> or 4 inches broad. Crantz describes the oars as" short and 
broad belbre, ]U-etty much like a shovel, but only longer, and * * 
eontined to their places on the gunnel with a strap of seal's leather;' 
(Vol. U, \>. 14".l and pi. VI ) Although both oais and sails aiv un- 
doubtedly quite ancient in veutious (Frobisher in his des.-iiptiou of Meta 
Incognita in llakluyt's Voyages (15Si)) pp. (Il-l and C.l'S, speaks ofskiu 
boats with sails of eutiail),' I am strongly inclined to believe that they 

are both e.uisideiably i c recent than th<> p^iddles. not only on geiieial 

l.riuciples, but ti<uii the fact that the whaling umiaks at Point I'.avrow 
us<' (Mily paddles. There is no luactical reason against using cither 
oars or sails, and in fact the latter would often be of great advantage 
in silently approaching a whale, as the American whalemen have long 

> Narrative, p. 148. 

'.ro.mial, II. :!». Cinipar., alai. Cliappell, " Hudson Bay,' p. 57. 

■I'l'lii ,^^1, iss i"is Ill-ill"-' a.s lar a.s I Uniiw. the earliest description of the umiak and kaiak are worth 
,,„„tili.Mi ni.ir hoalsare made all of .Seale skins, with a keel of wood within the skiuue; the 

iii-nimil 1,1.1 ut til. Ill is like a Spanish slialliip. smie only they bo flat in the bottonie, .and sharp at holh 
ndt-s I . li'l I '-71" \ ■ 111! I'lM V li I"' tui. -lilts i.r boats made of leather, set out on the inner 

''"I'^l-i.'i'' ,'r,,i ,' ,,1 ^^M,~.I mm. iilh t^..l " nli ili'-nu-s of the same; the greater sort are not luui-h 

iX iiiir wll iiH- "1" ..Mi -M '"■ "'^ '"•" '»»>■ ^'"»' ""■•"■ '"•" '■'"■ " ""•'■'"• '""■'" "'" 

"utte»i'i'l"sii"li'l'i.i-^ts :i- tlin l>ill i.n liiii iii'l tliiiiiii, which they sewe together; the other boate is 



340 



)INT BAKRDW ESKIMO. 



a"-<. (iiscovtud It m( 111-101111 tint tin- i- hh ich .motlKi case of ad 
lioiiii"- to an ()b-ol( tt i ii-toin "H m mm li^ioii^ !,ioiiii(N Flu i)a(l(lles 
arc usiiallN about 1 "i "> t. . r lon^ ni idi ot oii« pii ( ( otdiittwood V/\X\i 
sleiidt'i' round -li III- ind 1 im c ol in bl idi - ilmut (> iiK lies bioad, aud 
a short round, d .10- Inn. II. nili. iipi.. 1 ni.l (Fig 345 blio^\ s two 
.•Ctli.- pa.l.ll. -b, loii.iii, \» 111. nio.l. 1 111. 
pa.l.llc. and M md- in tli. - 



1-111 in UMs a long.M- 
-It- np on till Ik id .it tb. -t.Mn)).)-t. 




;!45.— Model of uuiiak and paddl' 



Fig. 34.)a represents tbe model (No. 56563 |225] from Utkiavwlu), 
which gives a very good idea of tbe .shape of one of these boats. It is 
•luite .'.^rrect in all its parts, though the timbers are rather too heavy, 
and there are not so many ribs and floor timbers as in a fiill-sized canoe. 
The bieadth of be.ini, <)-L' luc hes, is at least 1 in. h to.) an- it in i)i.)por- 
tion to the length, _'") 111. lies. The(o\ci is one pie. c ot s. al skin which 
has lie.'ii iiaitialh tanned li\ the -white tauiiiug" ]>io. e-s, and init on 
wet In dijiim It ha-fiiiiied almost e\.i.tl> the.oloi of <i genuine 




boat .-over. The frame, as is often the case with a full-sized boat, is 
painted all over with red ocher. (See Fig. 3456, inside plan.) 

For bailing these boats a long narrow dipper of ivory or bone is used, 
of sii.'h a shape as to be especially well suited for working in between 
the rt.)or timbers. Fig. 346 represents one of these (No. 5G536 [40] from 
rtkiavwin). It is a piece of wahus tusk 16-3 inches long. The cavity 
is 1-1 inches deep and was excavated liy drilling vertical holes and 
cutting away the substance between them. Some of the holes have not 
been completely worked .)ut. A similar bailer (No. 80835 |l(tlO) also 



IIARPOOX CKOTC 



it ICIIK 
tlie so 



from rtkiavwin ) is mail 

worked than the ivory. ; 

upper side flat is readily <arv<'(l tint. 

natural ciu-ve of the material i;ivi's tlie ] 

It is lS-3 inches louj^-. 

When the umiak is lifted nut for wlia 
ivory or boue, about 7 iuelies louy- and 
giiu wales where they meet at the bov 
rests when they are approaching a 
whaling. The iluseum collection coiit; 
as far south as the Diomede Islands. 

We brought home five specimens of t 
[117 1 Fig^ 347 has been selected as 
the type. This is made of two bilat- 
erally symmetrical pieces of white wal- 
rus ivory, eacli piece consisting of one 
arm of the crotch and half the shank. 
Its total length is 7-S inches. The two 
pieces are held together by a stout 
wooden tree-nail, and above this a 
lashing of sinew-braid, lodged in two 
deep vertical channels one on each 
side of the shank Just below the arms, 
and wedged above and below on both 
sides with slips of wood. A hole is 
drilled through each side of the butt 
close to the end, and through these a 
lashing is stretched across the reen- 
tering angle of the butt consisting of 
four tuTTis of sinew braid with the end 
closely wrajjped round the parts between the 

Just at the bend of each ariri is a small n 
ol)ii.|Uely IVoui the back to the outer side, 
becket. aliout ■■} inches Ion-, made of severa 







<hinus te 



att 



thee 
the 1 

mental tigures are 
Three ot the rei 
essentially the sani 
minor details. Xo. 
the type and of ve 
a lashing onlv, but 



lioles, and n(nitly tucked in. 
lUiid becket hole, running 
In each of the.se is a neat 
turns of sinew braid, with 
receive 



. These beckets servt 
to the gunwales. W 



idling the 
iicised and Wackened. 

aining four speciimMis arc of walrus-ivory, and of 
l.attern, differing only in ornamentation and other 
r,V,r,ll |ll(i], from rtkiavwin, is almost exactly like 
\- nearly the same size. It is fa.stened together with 
no treenail, and the beckets have been removed from 



th 
tw 

tips (1 
ll-'l 
those 



becket holes. The b.inh 
wliales' tails instead of . 



, Fig. :!4S. 
already dc 



om I'tkiav 
ribed. but 



with 
lank. 
of M 



is lashed togeth 



■ed ocher, and there are 
The other two have the 
lales^ heads. No. 81I41S 



ith stout 



342 



[XT liAKK'dW F.SKIMl 



jllid li 1-- tdUl htt 1 1 I ( I III' ■'I'll' ' 

anil t«<) It tlu \M<I' I put 'il 111' -1 

loop uiimiii, I'lii-- 111' li'itr <>" f 

•si -^111111 (i'>sMti' 1 "1 iiiiU'li' 1 < ni'l with I Minll bluL ^hssbead 111 

I^'i^,', ti„ ,,nt, . in.! tiKi' IK tw'.ulnl' s tills "ii tlu opposite fa.M 



1 two III tin llsll d iio.sitioii 

1 In St t ikt the pi u e of tlie 
11( ot th' 1)1' 1 ot each arm 



Nuwiil his I IK iil\ stni^ht shink with a 



or tlu shiiii It IS 

No s'141'l |'l_(.| ti 
flan . ontKh sid. ii th. Imtt It islish.d togetli* i with whalebone 
aiKlli IS also I ti' ' II 111 111 ' th' t\ PL J he uppei btckets iie of sinew- 
"briid V lai^< b.'l'i II thi bnttismidi h^ looping iiid kiiottiug 
thi 'ii'ls ot I'bit '>! Ihoii- lilt'. 1 holi in eich tl iiui Time is one 
whih till 'lui n"l '>u th< tioiit'd tli( slinil ^^ ht 11 1 isJK d in p'wi- 



Mi ip' 




■d by the 
in tVout, 
No s'lr 11104], Fig. 
IVJ'i tioiii Niiwiil tilt onh OIK ol till lindsecii is imi\ interesting 
fonii li 1 iiii'U 1>\ (iittin^ ihoii/oiitil slKt out ot the lower jaw of 
a w lb lis s. HmI It loimtlK uins of tin i lotch, wliilt the thick sym- 
l.h\sisis,ui Mit'i I shinkot the iisuil ship. A\ ith the tw o upper beckets 
ill th' 11 uil].li. . iii'l liaise one it tlu butt p issiiu thioUoh a traiis- 
V. 1 M hoU 1 h' s, I), . k( ts uc KMuhh 111 uU ot thoiu Its total h-ii-th 
is (> (> mihes 

Ihis specimen trom its soiUmI .•omlitioii is niidoubteiUy 'lUite ancient, 
and probably ofan older type than the highly oiiiamcntcl ivory crotches 



Mn:r>..,H.l IMIAKS. :51;; 

of the present day. The laltrr arc cvl.lciitly only copio ,,r I lie jaw- 
boiK' croteli ill a raaterial susrcprililc oT a liij^licr liiiisli than llic maisc 
bone. The only reason tor makiii.t;- thciii in two |iicccs is tliat it is ini 
possible to get a single piece of walrus i\(iiy lar-v eiioiigli lor a whole 
one. It seems to nie bighly probabl(^ thai tliecrolcli was sii;;ucsi.'(l l>s 
the natural shapeof the walrus Jaw, since these are IVeiinenily used lor 
crotches to receive the cross pieces of the caclie fiamcs. Perhaps, for 
a while, the whole jaw was simply lashed to tlie how of the hoal. The 
next step would obviously be to cut out tlu' shank and reduce the weight 
of the crotch by trimming off the snpertinons niateiial. The reason hir 
making the crotch of ivory is perhaps purely csthctii'; bni nioic lik(dy 
connected with the notions already referred to which lead them loclean 
up their boats and gear and adorn theinselx es and [laint tln'ir faces 
when they go to the whale fishery. 

Although, as I have already stated, there appears to he no essential 
difference in the general plan of the frame of the (rreenlatid umiaks 
and those used at Point Barrow, there seems to be considerahle dilVer 
ence in the size and outward ai)pearance. As well as can be Judged 
from the brief descriptions ami rude flgiu-es of various authors' and 
various models in the Xatioiial Museum (the correctness of whi(di, how. 
ever, I can not be sure of, without having seen the originals) the umiak 
not only in Greenland, but among the Eskimo generally as far west as 
the Mackenzie, is a much more wall sided square ended l)oat than at 
P(»int liarrow, having less sheer to the gunwales with the stem and 
stern-post nearly vertical.'^ Mr. L. M. Turner informs me that this is the 
case at Ungava Bay. It was also a 1 arger boat. Egede says that they '' are 
large and open * * * some of them 20 yards long;"' Crantz gives their 
length as "cominoidy (5, nay S or 9 fathoms long;"^ Kumlien says that 
it required '-about fifteen skins of Phoca barbata" to cover an umiak 
at Cumberland Gulf," and Mr. Turner informs me that eight are used 
at Tngava. Capt. Parry found no umiaks at Fury and I lecla straits'' 
and Kumlien says that they are becoming rare at( 'umberland ( rulf. The 
so-called Arctic Highlanders of Smith Sound have noboatsof any kind. 
Tlie model used at Point Barrow probably prevails as far south as 
Kotzebue Sound. Tiie boats that boarded us off" Waiuwright Inlet in 
the autumn of ISS.'., and those of the Xunataumiun who visited Point 
Barrow, seemed not to (lilfer from those with wdiich we were familiar, 
except tluit the latter were rather light and low sided, nor do I remember 
anything ]>e<idiar alxuit the boats which we saw at Plover Bay in 
18S1. 



.•j44 Till: I'DINI' HARROW KSKIMO. 

TlicTc is very lilt I.' acrcssilil.' <li-t;iilcil iufoiiiition n'fi-ardiiiK the 
iiMHiiUs iis.-a ill the ivsr ..r Al;isk;i. From Dall's fl-iiiv' and a few 
iiiod.'ls in the Miisciini, ilii- Xoitoii .Sdiiiid umiak appears to have the 
-uiiwah's united al l>oth stem and stiTn. Those tliat we saw at St. 
MiehaeKs in iss:;. «,t<- so mncli moditied by Russian ideas as to be 
wiiolly oui oft lie Mil,' of coinpaiison. Tlic same is true of the Aleutian 
'•l)aiilai-a." if. ind.'i^d, the latter be an umiak at all. 



SiKiirxInirs {t:}iihi.\~>^u»\ys]u>c>i i>\' -A very I'tiieient pattern ami very 
w.'il made aiv now nni\rrsally employed at IViint Harrow. .\lthou,i;-h 
Ihrsnou n.-\rr lies \i'iy deep on tlie ,t;roniid, and is a|,l to pile u). in 

the .i;rass\- parts oftlie tundra, to make walkiiiji' without siiowshoes very 
inconvenient and fati;;iiiug. I have ev<'ii seen them used on tlu^ sea iee 
for (■rossill^ le\ el spaces wlieu a few iiudies of snow had fallen. Prac- 
tically, every man in the two villages, and many of the women and 
boys, have each their own pair of suowshoes, fitted to tiieir size. Kach 
shoe consists ol a rim of light wood, bent into the shajjc of a pointed 
oval, about tive times as long as the greatest breadth, and irnicli bent 
up at tiie roll luled end, which is the toe. The sides are braced ajtart 
In tw,, ^lollt crossbars (/orand linl har) a little farther apart than the 
length ..f the WeariT's fo^.t. Tlie space between these two bars is uet- 

tel in laige meshes,/;,,,/,,,////,;/) with stout tl g fa- the foot to rest 

Upon, and the spaces at the, ends are closely netted with fine deerskin 
"babiche"- (/,„■ and /„•,'/ iirttin;/). The sti'aps for the foot are fastened 
to th.' f ,ot netting in such a way tliat while the strap is firmly fastened 
round the aidvli' the snowshoe is sliiug to tiie toe. The wearer walks 
with lon,^ swinging strides, lifting the toe oftlie shoe at each step, 
while the tail or heel drags in the snow. The straps are so coiitriveil 
that t he foot can be slipped ill and out of them witlnmt toindiing them 
with the tingeis, a great advantage in cold weather. When deer hunt- 
ing, according to Lieut. Kay. they take a long piece of thong and knot 
each end of it to the t„r <,f one snowshoe. The bight is then looped 
into tlie belt behind so that the suowshoes drag out of the way of the 

' l"^- ^^'hen they wish to |iut on the shoes they draw them up, insert 

their feet ill the straps, and fasten the slack of the lines into the belt 
in front with ;i slip knot. When, however, they come to a piece of 
ground where suowshoes are not needed, tlicv kick them off, slij) the 
knots, and let them "drop astern." 

We l>rought home thice pairs of suowshoes, which represent very 
well the form in general use. No. siMllii [1736], Fig. 350, has been 
selected as the type. The rim is of willow, ."il inches long and lOi inches 

^ AlxsUa, „. 15. "" 

M w.st.-cl »""L-vv is soTu.-tiriu-s usinl. A pair .,1' Hi.cwsh.ies fi-um Point Barrow, owned by tlie writpr. 



sxrtwsTioi'.s. 



345 



wid.' at tlir hioa<lfst i);iil. and Is nud. ot t\M>stii|.s d.i 

and 'l wide. JoiiuMl at the tix 

tour siioit horizontal or sli-liil\ 

is elliptical ill section, witli 

inner fa.ee, exce]it lictwccn tl 

tapered off coiisidc 

toe. and sli.olitly tapered tow iid tli. In 

two iMiiiits are fastened to.^tthi i l.\ i vl 

zontal stitch of AvhalelxMie. lli. ti). is 

into a sli-ht "tail.-a 

shoe is slightly strai-liler tli in tin ont( i— 111 it j ', 

is to say, they are 

The bars are elliptical in s, , tion ll 
and have their ends mortised mto tin iii 
are about a foot ajiai 
9-2 inches long and 

are of th<^ same Ineadtii and tin.) m ss 1 1 
inch. There is also an exti i 1. u toi stun, 
eiiing the back Jiait of llie slioi 1(1 im Iks t 
the point. It is also of oak 4sin(h(s]oiu <» ". ( 
wide, and 0-;5 thick. Tlu^ to( md ht< 1 lu ttin.,s ^ 
hh' pnt oil Hrst. Small ((iiiidistnit \ 







th 



Ihos, 
h. I(l\ 



above and below; tl 
i inch fi-om the edg( 
the under side of tli 
holes is lacd a |,iec, 



nd the inside of 
I- IkpIcs in the 

At the toe bar 



the space. There are no 
parts spliced at the toe, 1 
through a bight of each si 

the lacing is caiiied straight across tV liiii ti> 

rim aliout tin ee times, the last part being wound 
round the oth.'rs. 

On the let'l shoe the end is l.iought back on 
the left han.l side, passed through the first hole 
in the bar b-oiii above, .•anied along in the 
groove <m the underside to the next hole, up 
through this and round the lacing, and back , ,, s .i . 

through the same hole, the two parts being 

twisted together between the bar and lacing. This is i tiiiiK d stop- 
ping" the lacing in festoons tc, the bar. to the last hole on the right, 




34n THK I'OINT liAKKOW KSKIMii. 

^yU,■v>■ it is liiiislicd ulX hy kii.itrin- tlu- <-Ha n.mid the hist •• stoj)." 
The- slops arc iiiailc. aiipaiciitly. by a separate piece on tlie rif;lit shoe. 

Tlie laciim <iii the 1 1 l)ar is also doiilile or tiiph', liiit the hist part, 

which is woiiiid roiiiiil the otliers. is knotted into each hok as on the 
rim. The hicin-soii Ilie lini of the heel space arc knotted witli a sin-le 
kno't round each end of th.' extra bar. 

In describing the nettings it will always be nndersto<,d thatthe ni>per 
surface of the shoe is toward the workman, with the point upward, if 
d.-scribing the heel nettings, and vic'c versa for tin' toe. To begin with 
the heel netting, which is the simpler: This is in two parts, one 
from the hi'clbai- to the extra bar (heel netting proper) and one from 
the latter to tlic point (point netting). The netting is invariably 
fastened to the lacing by passing the end through the becket from 
alioM' and liringing it back over itself. In making the point netting 
the end of the babiciie is knotted nmnd the bar at the right-hand 
lower corner with a single knot. The other end goes up to the lacing 
at the point and comes down to the left hand h)wer corner, where it i.s 
hitched lonnd the bar, as in Fig. 351, 
then goes up to the lowest becket on 
the left side, crosses to the corre- 
sponding one on the right, and comes 
d(n^Ti and is hitched as before roitnd 
the bar inside of the .starting i)oint. 
Ill, :;.,!. -Ku..t ill sllu^v^ll..l. This makes a series of strands round 

the outside of the s|iace, two running obliquely from right to left, a 

|,,i,o ,,i, the right side and a short on i the left side; two similar 

.strands from left to right, the long one on the left and the short one 
on the right, and one transverse strand at the base of the triangle 
(see diagram. Fig. .'i.j^u). The next round goes up to the first becket at 
the to]) on the h'ft hand, crosses to the corresixmding one on the 
riulit. and then makes tlie same strands as the first nmnd, running 
parallel totliiMn and about half an inch nearer the center of the space 
(M-r diagram, Fig. :!."(l'/;). Kach successive round follows the la.st, com- 
ing each time alxmt .\ inch n.'arer the center, till the space is all fHled 
in. which brings the end of the last round to the middle of the bar, 
round which it is knotted with a single knot. This makes three sets 
of strands, two obli(|uely longitudiiml, one set from right to left and 
oni> from left to right, and one transverse, all of each .set parallel and 
eipiidistant. or nearl.\ so, and each interwoven alternately over and 

The right slioe has fourteen longitudinal strands in each set and 
thirteen transverse: the left, one less in each .set. On the left shoe the 
end is cairieil up from the last knot to the lacing at the point, and then 
c(.mes back to the bar. fa.stenin- the other part to the netting with six 
ei|uidistant half-hitches. The heel netting proper is ])ut on in a slightly 




different fashion, as the ^ 
starts as before in tlie rijj 
the becket, ruuninj; aero? 
middle of the extra bar, i 
then down to the h'tt hai 
left rim, across to the coi 
first becket on tlie heel h 
gram, Fij;-. :\'i'.>(i). Tlie st 
of the first, comes ilown i 
on the left, jioes n]. to th 
the rijiiit. and comes bad 
All these strands e\ce]it 
round. Tlie third round 
except the traus\-erse on 



317 

■. It 



lit han 
s from 
DUnd \ 

d luw. 

IVS|M.ll 



the tn 
follow 
■ to th 



^ses to 
onnds. 



i-s all 




]M.i;. .'U'./m. The successive odd rounds follow the first and the even 
rounds the second, brins'infi- the lonjiitiidinal strands alternately to the 
ri-ht and left of the first round, until the ends of the hind bar are 
ivached— that is to say. till the si)ace <)»f.s/(/c of the first round is tilled— 
each transverse strand conun.u above the preceding-. This is done iv-- 
ularly on the left slioe. the tenth round coming to the left end of the 
bar, and the eleventh to the light. The tw.dfth round comes to the 
becket in theh'ft hand upper cmht. and cr.isses to the coMesp.mding 
becket on the other side. It then follows the odd i-ounds, thus making 
six strands, four longitudinal and two transverse, as in the point net- 
tings. .Ml the remaining rounds follow this till the whole spa<-e is 
filled in, which brings the end of the last naaid to the mi(hlle of the 
heel bar, where it is knotted do the becket. 

On th<- right shoe the maker seems to have made a mistake at the 
eiuhth round, which obliged him t- alter the order of the other strands 



34S 



:in.l I'M 



riiK 



liAKKoW ESKIMO. 



Iiisrcad 



lish with hiill ;i r 

dawn to th.- i.iv.c.iliii.u ti;nis\i 

,,tliclieHhar. wliicli l.riii.;;s tl 

,Hl,,f thcl.Mr.s-.tluit it is til 
,.rs,.tnMi At tlicl.-i.. Til.. VAt 



■ tMldii- th.. .Mid ..r tlie ei-hth 
sti:ni.l iiiily. he lias lir.inj;bt it 
iitli r..uii.ltiitli.'lfrt, tolLiwiug- 
ftli.'liiiid bar, the tenth t.)tbe 
r\-.'ntli whicli makes tlie first 

_ _ _ is the same as iu the point 

;s. 'I'll.' liiilii slid.' has L'."i. J4. aii.l lit strands in the three sets 
ii\.'i\ . an. I 111.' l.'tt, 'S>. -'>. an.l I'.t. The toe nettinfi'S are put on 
same wa.\. th.' tirst roun.l j;.)in,i; to th.- middle beeket at the toe, 
.issinu t.i till' first he.-ket .>ii th.- right hand, the seeond .u'oing- to 
d Ix'cU.'t .111 th.' ictt hand anil I'rossing on the right to the first 
and till' thin! going t.i the first ronnd at the t.ie and .'rossiug 




All the even rounds go to the beeket at the toe and rr.iss to the ]n'e- 
eeding even round, and all the odd rounds go to tlir pn'c. .ling odd 
round at the toe and cross to the beeket, until the spa.e .mtsid.' of the 
tirst round is filled with longitudinal strands, when they begin to make 
descending transverse turns across the toe, going from the beeket on 
the left to the corresponding one on the right and thus following the 
odd rounds. The fourteenth round on the right shoe begins this, the 
tweltth on the left. This brings the end of the last round to the middle 
of the toe bar. It is then carried up to the beeket at the toe, brought 
d.)wn and up again, and the end is used to fasten these three parts to 
the netting with e.piidistant half hitches— fourteen on the right shoe 
and thirteen on the left. The pattern, of course, is the same as before, 
with ;?;?, 3.i, and 2(i strands on the right shoe, and 31, 31, and 25 on the 
left, iu each set resi)ectively. 



ML-nuocEi.l SXOWSIIOIOS. •J.li) 

The I'oot-uettiug- is of ;i veiy <litrcicnt iiatlcrn, and consisis ..f seven 
transverse aucl thirteen Idii-itiidinal strands, ol' wliirli six, in iln- ndd 
die, do not reach the toe liar, leavinu an ohion^ transverse hole 
through which the toe presses ajiainsi (he snow al ( lie lie'.innin"- of 
the step. The eross strands are a piece of sloni 1 iionu 1 1 lie sidn of tlie 
walrusor bearded seal), to the end of which is s|>lic<Ml wiili doul)le slits 
a long piece of thinner seal thon.i;, wliich makes the loiii;iiinlinal ones. 
The seven transverse strands pass in and out through holes in iheiiin, 
wliile the longitndiTial strands pass over the l)ars, except tin' miildle 
three pairs, which pass round the horizontal strand behind the toe 
hole, drawing it down to the next strand. The end of tlu^ thirteenth 
strand wattles these two firmly together, as it does also the two pairs 
of longitudinal strands on each side of the toe hole, and linishes otf the 
netting by whipping the two sets of strands together with a -hird- 
cage stitch." 

The object of the complicated wattling romnl the toe hole is, lirst, to 
strengthi-n the hind border against which the toe presses in walking. 
and second to give a tirm attachnuMit for the straps, which are fastened 
at the Juin'tion of the doubled and twisteil longitudinal strands with 
tli<' lirst and second transverse ones. Kach straj. is a sin,i;le piece of 
.stout seal thong fastened to tli.' shoe with two l,,ops as follows: .\t the 
inner side of the shoe the end is passed into the toe hole and makes a 
round turn about the doubled li>ngitudinal strands, and tlien goes un- 
der the two cross strands, coming out b.diind them and between the 
twelfth and thirteenth longitudinal .strands, it is then spliced into the 
standing part with two slits, making a bccket aliout .1 inches in 
diameter. The other end, leaving a loop laigc enough to ^o round the 
wearer's heel, is passed through the becket .ju.st made, wouml in the 
.same way as before round the stiands at the other corner of the toe 
hole, and made into a similar bei'ket by knotting the end to the stand 
ing part with a marlinghitcli with the bi.i;ht left in. On the right shoe 
this hitch is made in a slit in the standing i.art. The end is j.robably 
left long for the purpose of adjusting the length of the stiiiji to the 
wearer's foot. 

In putting on the shoe, the toe is thrust sideways throuuh the lo,,], 
till the bight conn-s well up nwv the heel, and then turneil rouinl and 
stuck under the two beckets, which together form a strap to fasten the 
toe down to the shoe, leaving the latter free to swing when the heel is 
raised. By reversing the process the shoe is easily kicked otf. These 
straps nuxst be fitted very lucely or else the shoe is apt to come otf. 
This is a very neatly made pair of shoes, and the woodwork is all painted 
red above. 

No. .S9913 [ 1737 ] is a pair of similar shoes also from Utkiavwin. The 
frame is made in the same way and is wholly of willow excei)t the extra 
hind bar, which is of walrus ivory. These shoes are shorter and some 
what broader than the preceding and not so well made. They are 4S-.'> 



3.-)0 



INT BAUKOW K 



[MO 



iliclir- Inn- anil 1 I liloail. TIh- two shncs ;H(' not i)erc('l)tibl,V tliffeveilt 
ill slniiif. The laiinu, wliic-li is of sinew liiaid, is put on in the same way 
as..ii the i>i-<'''<'(l"i.ii'l''>'''- '"•'^'■'^■I'f f''''' '' '^ fastened .lirectly into the 
holes on the toe bars. The whoh- of the heel neftin,!- is in one i)iece, aud 
made i)recisely iu the same way as th.> point nettin-s of the first pair, 
the end being <'ariied up tlie middle to the point oftlieheel and brought 
down again to the bar as im the toe nettings, but fastened with marl- 
ing liitelies. The number of strands is the same in eaeh shoe, twenty- 
thiee in each set. The toe nettings hiHow quite regularly the pattern 





verse strands. The 
of longitudinal stia 
left shoe. The sti 



The 



not (luite the sauie size, 



the 



right has .T., 3."i, and 2S strands, and the left 33, 
.!.!. and _">. in each set respectively. There is no 
regular rule about the number of strands in any 
part of the netting, the objeet l)eing simply to 
make tlie meshes always about the same size. 
The foot netting is made of stout and very white 
thong from the lieardeil seal. These shoes have 
no striugs. 

No. S;MIU [173Sj is a pair of rather small shoes 
fiom L'tkiavwui, one of whieh is shown in Fig. 
.'!o4. They are rights and lefts, and are 42 inches 
long by 1(1 broad. The frame is wholly of oak, 
and differs from the tjqje only in having no extra 
hind l)ar, and having the heel and toe bars about 
eiiual in length. The points are fastened together 
with a treenail, as well as with a whalebone stitch. 
The heelnettiugs are put on with peitect regu- 
larity, as on the pair last described, but the toe- 
nettings, though they start in the usual way, do 
not follow any regular rule of sucession, the 
rounds being put on sometimes inside and some- 
times outside of the preceding, till the whole 
sjiace is tilled. The foot-nettings are somewhat 
clumsily made, es]iecially on the right shoe, which 
appears to have been broken in several places, 
and ••col)l>led" liy an unskillful workman. There 
are only live transverse strands which are double 
on the left shoe, and the longitudinal strands 
are not whipjjed to these, but interwoven, and 
each jiair twisted together between the trans- 
e is no wattling back of the toe hole, and one pair 
ids at the side of the latter is not doubled on the 
ngs are jmt on as on the type excejit that the 



ends are knotted instead of being spliced. This pair of shoes wa.* 



1IL-KD.,<;.I.] 


SNOWSHUKS. 




used by the writer mi 


Miaii\ short cxci 


irsious aroni 


tluriiif;' tlie winters nl' iss 


l-'siJ and iss-zs;; 


. They uiMv 


chased. 






1 had liut one opiMirtuiii 


ily of sccin.t; the \> 


roiTssof luals 


oftlie SlKIWsil.M^S. Iltibw 




iati\c lir(|iu>i 


a |);nticularly skillful \\-< 


iirknian, undcitool 


s to make a 


shoes for Li. 'lit. Itay at oi 


iir (luartcrs. but i 


lid not sue.-. 



;5r)i 



thrni. as the ash linnber wliii-h we brou.ulit from Saii I''raii.isro pro\rd 
too brittle for the purpos.'. Tlaviii- a Ion- pin-.' (,f wooil, h.' ---ot out" 
the whole rim iii one piece. Ordinarily the splici' at tlieloc nnist be 
made, at- least temi;)orarily, before the fianic can be bent iiiio shape. 
He softened up the W(tod by wrappini; it in la-s wi^t with hot water. 
Some of the other mitives. however, recounjuaided that the wood 
sliouhl be immersed in the salt watei- loi' a day oi- twii, liom wliich 1 
infer that this is a eommon jiraetici'. Altei' slowly bendin.u the toe. 
witli great eare, nearly into shape, he inserted into the bend a tlathloek 
of wood of the proper shape for the toe and lashed the frame to this. 
A pointed block was also used to give the proper shape to the heel; 
the bars being inserted in the mortises before the ends were bnmght 
together. The temporary lashings are kept on till the wood dries into 
shape. The toes are turned up by tying tiie shoes together, sole to 
sole, and inserting a transverse stick between the tips of the toes. 

The use <d' finely linished snowshoes of this pattern is of e para- 

tively recent date at Point Barrow. Dr. Simi)S(.n' is explicit concein 
ing the use of snowshoes in his time ( IS".; !-',->:.). lie says: ••Snowshoes 
are so seldom used in \hv north where the diiftedsiiow pn-sents a hard 
frozen surface to walk upon, that ceitainly not half a dozen paiis were 
in existence at I'oint I'.airow at the time of oui- arrival, and tlios.. wi're 
of an inferior sort." I have alicady nu-ntioned the universal employ- 
ment of these snowshoes at the present day, so that the custom must 
hav.' arisen in the last thirty years. The pattern of shoe now used is 
identical with t lios.- of I he Tinn.' .u- .\fhabascan Indians las is plainly 
shown by the National Museum colhMtions), and I am incliiu'd to be- 
lieve that the I'oint Kanow natives have learned to use them from the 

-Xunatanmiun." fr whom, indeed, they purchase ready-maile snow 

shoes at the present dav. as we ourselves observed. The "Nunatan- 
miun." or the closely related pcoph' of the Kuwuk Eiver. are known to 
have intimate trading relations with the Indians, and even in Simp- 
■son's time' used the Indian shoe, s.uuetimes at least. The fa<-t that in 
re<-.'nt times fandlies of the •• Xunatafimiun " have establishe<l the habit 
of spending the winter with the peoph' of Point Harrow- and associat- 
ing with them in the winter dc<'r-linnt. would explain how the latter 



3-,2 THK POINT IJAKKOW ESKIiMO. 

ilie liitiT used tlic IikUiiu style "f snowsboesat least as early as 1826. 
rrniUliu' sikmUs of seeing, at Denial latinii Point, a pair of snowslioes 
nelled with cords of deeislcin and slia|)ed like those of the Indians of 
the Mackenzie. 

Most of the other Ivskiuio of Alaska, who need to use snowshoes at 
all, use a style of shoe very mueli less eflieient and more roughly made, 
the rim being of heavy, rather crooked pieces of willow or alder. Simp- 
son's description will ajiply very widl to this form, whieh is used even 
as I'ar north as ley Cape, whence Mr. Nelson brought home a pair. It 
also aiiiiears to be the prevailing, if not the only, form on the Siberian 
coast and St. Lawrence Island. Judging from Nordinskitild's figure' 
and Mr. Nelson's collections. 

Simpson says:' "The most common one is two pieces of aldei', about 
two feet and a half long, curved towards each other at the ends, where 
they are bound together, and kept apart in the middle by two cross- 
iiieces.eaeh end of which is held in a mortise. Between the crosspieces 
is stretclied a stout thong, lengthwise and across, for the foot to rest 
upon, with another which first forms a loop to allow the toes to pass 
beneath; this is cariii-d round the back of the ankle to the opjiosite 
■side of the foot, so as to sling the snowshoe under the Joint of the great 
toe." 

When there are toe and heel nettings, they are of seal thong with a 
large open mesh. The snowshoe from Xortou Sound, figured by Dall,* 
is a ratlier neatly made variety of this form. South of the Yukon, the 
use of the snowshoe api)ears to be confined to the Indians. As shown 
by tiie IMuseum collections, the strings are always of the pattern de- 
scribed throughout the whole northwestern region.^ 

Snowshoes appear t<) be rarely used among the eastern Eskimo. 
The only writer who mentions them is Kumlien.'^ He says: "When 
traveling over the frozen wastes in winter, they [i. e., the natives of 
C'liinbeilaud Gulf] use snowshoes. These are half moon shaped, of 
whuleb(me, with sealskin thongs tightly drawn across. They are 
about 10 inches long. Another pattern is merely a frame of wood, 
about the same length and 8 or 10 inches wide, with .sealskin thongs for 

■{'lie latter is apparently (piite like the western snowshoes described 

.S7((//'.— The oiil\ staff used by the young and vigorous is the shaft 
of the spear, when one is carried. The aged and feeble, however, sup- 
port their steps wiili one or two staffs about 5 feet long, often shod 
with bone or ivory. (The old man whom Franklin met on the Copper- 
mine i;i\ci walked with the help of two sticks.") Fig. 355 from a photo- 
graph rei>iesents old Vuksiiia from Nuwuk, with his two staffs, without 
which he was hardly able to walk. 



iir>3 



l>< I -.1 INK 
iMl> ,,l 111, 

In ul,,.,t. li 



UMl I 



II I.I 

1,1 ,. 

I <l..l 



Sh,h,,s—\h, ,„lh 1,11,1 

,i,( mi il list iiiK k I 
iiit* ii(U(l foi ( iii\i 
eiiiiii)if,( U( mil t 
st in(l( I, l<ii ( III Mil 
sells, rouj^li dm ,1 (1( 1 i-,l iiiN it, nKli^p 

lUlluK Kloss tll< 1 111(1 oi -,,,11,1 I,, 1 ,,(1, 

Ivllicls IK III 1(1( with, lilt II ilU hut 11, I 1st 

piiedtoKCtlK 1 h;\iii<ntiMs iml 1 islmi^s iiid 
stitdKSof tlioii^ iiid wli ilibdiK I lint 
bowovor, seen OIK iini i, wIik h w is m uU m 
18^5 f isfeiud td^itlid with n iiN i i ithu 
inttiioi siil,stitiit« l(.i till ! islmi^v is tin \ 
iKit oiih wdiild not liold so liiiiih Init 
^\ollld iIm, 1m ImI.I, to 1,1, ,k 111 ,old 
^\. itli, 1 

J'.otli kinds ot slid},, n, II, uU ol diilt 
wood iiid sli,,d with stii])s ot while's )i\\ 
about thin toiiiths of m uu h thick, lis 
teiied ou witli bom tueiiaiis Thesi bom 

ruiiiiei s, which lie about J imhtsw id, mii _ 

suflfititntlv well ()\ei uc, haul snuw th, , 
frozen j?i i\el of the beuh or (\( n , n tin 

ban tuiidia, but foi ciii\iii>,^ i In iw l,iid(p\(i tin s.iit, i sii,i« , 
iiiterioi th(\ are shod with k, m a in iiimi jk, iiii n to this i, ,i,,ii 

It is well known tint not oiil^ tin 1 sKuno^di, i ill\ l.iii <,th, i h 
boK 111 iMople coat the lunm is of then si, ds w ith k , ro m ik, ilni 
nioii siiioothU, but this is usu ilK onl\ i , oinp iiativch thin , i iisf 
dui<d b\ pouimf, w itei on tin imim isoi iiipUiiu i iiii\tui( ol 
oi mild ind watd ' Mi luimi infonns iiu tint it I lu i\ i tin' 
imtKiilii to use fill, bliik \cji:( tibk mold toi this jmipose 

The method at Toint Barrow is ,inite ditren'iit from this. To 




I Fort 



< that at 



snrlaiv. lliiH i 
tiveoflli. ...sh, 


'„",h!nv!, 


2, I>.W). ; i..l 


In III.' M 


wash.Ml thr ,,u„ 


II. IS will. 


notes siH-aUs iif 


|-(IVITill^' 


Pctitot(M«n..f;ni 


iphii', ct,-. 


with '■nil Ixiurr,' 


Ii-t.lclim 


atl'itk'ka.i ■•tlii' 


nilllMMH, 


millimeti^rs in Hi 


i,'kn.-ss 1 


ingtoWn.iis,>ll 


(N.IIT.lllV 



354 



POINT 1?ARR()W ESKIMO. 



fully 1 lout 
is csliinatt' 
IKMiii.ls, In 
...miil.Tl.al; 

Ulliv.TSMlly 



It, 



■III!) 



\ sliof of cIcMr ice, as loug as the runner, and 
inihcs thick. The sledge with these ice runners 
,. even when unloaded, upwards of 200 or 300 
rs that the smoothness of running more than 
^tra weight. At any rate these shoes are almost 
on the sleds which uialic the long journey from 
the rivers ill tiie siniiig with heavy loads of meat, fish, and skins. One 
iiati\(", ill l-"i'^'N sliod Ids sledges with salt-water ice in this way before 
starting for the limiting grounds. As these ice shoes are usuaUy put 
on at tFie rivers, 1 had no opportunity of seeing the process, though I 
have seen the sledges thus shod after their return to the \dllage. 
Lieut. Kay, who saw the process, describes it as follows: 

"From the ice on a pond th.-it is free from fracture they cut the pieces the length 
of 11 .sled runner, 8 inches thick and 10 inches wide; into these they cut a groove 
deep enough to receive the sled runner up to the beam; the sled is carefully fitted 
into the trroove, and secured by pouring in water, a little at a time and allowing it 
to freeze? Great care is taken in this part of the operation, for should the workman 
apply more than a few drops at a time, the slab of ice would be split .and the work 
all to do over again; after the ice is firmly secured the sled is turned bottom np and 
the ice-shoe is carefully rounded with a knife, and then smoothed by wetting the 
naked hand aud passing it over the surface until it becomes perfectly glazed." ' 




Til traveling they take great care of these runners, keeping them 
smooth and jiolislieil, and iiieiidiiig all cracks by pouring in fresh water. 
Th(^y are also caretiil to shade them from the noonday sun, which at 
this season of the year is warm enough to loosen the shoes, for thi.s 
purpose hanging a cloth or skin over the sunny side of the sled.^ 

We were unfortnnately not able to bring home specimens of either style 
of large sled. The rail sled (kflmoti) isusually about 8 or 9 feet long, and 
2| to 3 feet wide, and the rail at the back not over 2^ feet high. The 
thick curved runners, about 5 or 6 inches wide (see diagram, Fig. 356, 



.■iniong the "Netsohillik," of 
^iriptiira is somewhat obarure 
ice. Trenches the length of 
lome two or threB inches, yet. 



made from a small iili(it(i.i;r;i])li 
are usually round) ill tVinit, Imf 
stout vertical posts (ni cadi sid 
end and mortised into the lunm 
wooden arches half flic lici^ht of tlic 
ners, each arcli a little in front dI' eae 
Strij) runs alon.i;- tlie middle of ea,!, sid 
supported hy the an-lies. The sled-e 
usually carefully made and olten jiain 



1 rails. An: 
!■ [.ostsarc I 



355 



ils (whicli 
lid 1)V foiii 



■lolsloii 
> the run 
i;;ilndina 



IS^^aSffl'^TsWfetF^ 



Of the unia or Hat sledge we have, fortunately a .^ood |.liotoi;iaph, 
Fig. 357. To the thick straight wooden runners are fistened directly 
seven cross slats, which project about 2 inches at each end beyond the 
runner, to which they are fasteued by two stitches of wlialehonc each. 
A h)ngitudinal strij) runs along above the slats on each side. These 
sledges are generally made on the same iiatteru. varying somewhat in 




size. A .•ommon size is about ti teet long, about L'i feet wnle, and !t or 
HI inches higli. Very small sledges of this pattern are sometimes made, 
es])eciailly for the iJiu-pose, as we were told, of carrying provisions, per- 
haps when one or two persons desire to make a rapid .journey of some 
length, or for carrying a small share of meat from camp to camp. 

One of these (Fig. .'558, No. Siiss!) | U4()J, from Utkiavwiii), which shows 
signs of long use, was brought home. It is 20"7 inches long and 1.5 broad, 
and has ivory runners, with three wooden slats across them, held down 

' The word used was " kau-kau." Perhap.s it referred to a aoal for food, as the sledgo appears very like 
ouo doscrihcd by Hooper {Corwin Keport, p. 105) as used on the "Arctic Coast." " When sealiug on 
solid ico a small sled is aonititimes used, the runners of whicli are made of walrus tusks. It is per- 
haps 16 inches long by 14 inches wide and 3 inches high. It is used in dragging the carcass of the 
seal over the ice." 

We, however, never saw sucli sleds used for dr.agging seals. This om- may havi- Ijccn iui]iortnrl from 
farther soutli. See also, Beechey, Voyage, etc., p. 251, where lie speaks of .seeing at Kotzebue .Sound, a 
drawing on ivory of " a seal dragged home on a small sledge." 



3.-,(; Tin: I'OINT liAKKOW E.SKIMO. 

hv a low wuoil.Mi rail on carh side. Kacli niiiiicr is a sli.-c fidiii a single 
lai-H- walrus tusk, with tli<' laitt at tiie, back of tin- sinl. 'I'Ih' sluts, 
wliTrli arc iiicccs ol' a sliiii's paiicliiiji', arc hislied tu the upper cdnc of 
the runners so as to project about one-half inch on encli side. The lails 
dare sli-iiitly outward. The whole is fastened together by lashiu.i^s of 
i-atliei- broad whalebone, passing throu-h a hole near the upper edge of 
the runner, a notch in tlie end of the slat and a hole in the slat iusideof 
tiie rail, riieie. are two la.sMugs at each end of eaeli broad slat and 
one in the middle, at each end of the luirrow one. The last and the ones 
at ea.h <'nd of the sled also secure the rail by passing through a hole 
near its edi^c, in which are cut square notches to make room for the 
ol her lashings. The trace is a strip of seal thong about 5 feet long and 
one fourth inch wide, split at one end for about 1 foot into two parts. 
The other end is slit in two for about 3 inches. This is probably a 
broken loop, wiiirh servetl for fastening the trace to a (h)g's harness. 

I donotrei-olleet ever seeing so small a sled in actual use, though Lieut. 
Ray .says he has lVe.|neiilly seen tlu'in drawn by one dog. The people 
who came down Irom Xuwuk with a small load of things for trade 

s, times used a small unia about 3 feet long, with one dog, and the 

saiiLe was often used l>y the girls for bringing in firewood from the 
beach. 

A ver>' pi'culiar sled was formerly used at Point Barrow, but we have 

1 leans of knowing how common it was. It was a .sort of toboggan, 

made by lashing togethi'r lengthwise slabs of whalebone, but is now 
wholly obsolete, since whalebone has too high a market value to jier- 
iiiil ot its being used Ibr any siieli purpose. We obtained one .speci- 
men about 10 feet limg, but it was untbrtunately in such a dilapidated 
condition that wc were unable to bring it home. I find no previous 
mention of the use of such sleds by any Eskimo. It is not necessary 
to suppose that this sled is modeled after the toboggan of the Hud.son 
r>ay voyagers, of which these iieojde might have obtained knowledge 
thnmgh the eastern natives, since the simple act of dragging home a 
"slab" of whalebone wtmid nattrrally .suggest this contrivance. 

We did bring home one small .sled of this kind (No. 89S75 [772], Fig. 
.3.-)9, from I'tkiavwin), which from its size was probably achild's toy, 
though from its greasy conditicm it seems to Innc been used lor drag- 
ging pieces of blubber. It is made of the tips of (i small "slabs" of 
black whalelx.ne, .■aeh about L' inches wide at the broad end, and put 
together side by side so as to loini a liiangle 11IJ inches long and 9^ 
wide, the apex being the front of the sled, and the leftdiand edge of each 
slab slightly oveilap]iiiig the edge of the preceding. They are fastened 
togellier by three t raiis\crse bands, passing through loops in the iqiper 
.surf ice of each slot, made by cutting two j.aralhd hingitudinal slits 
about one half inch l<Mig and one-fourth inch apart ].art way through, 
and raising np Ihe snrlace betwi.eii them. The hindmost band is a 
strip of whalebone nearly one-half inch wide, passing through these 



SLKDGl' 



sr)7 



lnii]is, Mild \V()Uiiilcli)scly ill ;i spiral aniiiiHJ a strainlil roil of w lialrl)i>iic 

liaiid aiT knotted into liiijis <ir Ix'ckcts alioiit '_' i indies in (iiaiiictcr 

The otluM- two bands aiv simple, nanow slripsot wlialeh •, niiini„n- 

.straight across tliionoh the loops ami knoltcd al llie ends iiil<> simihu- 
beckets. These liei'kets \vereoli\i(insl\- {\,v (\in^ on I he loail 

The sled with side rails does n<,t aii[iear to he nsed east ..f the Mae 
kenzie fe;;ion, but is fonud only slightly niodilled at least as lar south 
as Norton Sound.' The sled.uc used oii the Asiatie ,-oast, houevei, as 
shown in Nordeuskir.ld's li.-ine.- helon-s to a totally (litlerent lamilv 
l)eins' undoubtedly borrowed irom the reindeer Clmkehes. ■ The sleds 

of th (Stern Eskimo vary somewhat in pattern and material, but 

may be des.ailied in -eiieral terms asessentiallv the sain., as the uina, 
liilt usually provided with wiiat is called an ■• upstander, " namely, fw,', 
upri^iht liosts at eaeh side otthe baek of the sled, often eoiineeted by a 




which serve to ,-uide the sled from l>ehind. Many descrip- 
tions and li-ines of these sleds will be tbiuid ill t he various d.^scliptiolis 
oftheeast.Mli Ivskuno. 

D.H/s .o/r//,,M.//r,«.— These sled-es are drawn by doffs, which, as far as I 

Kskimo. They are, as a rule, rather lai-v and st..nt. A number of the 
do.usal Clkiavwin would compare favorably in si/.e with the a vera.ue 
Newtbnndland do-s, and they appear to becapabh^of well sustained 

exertion. The c i ^st color is the re-nlar •• brindle" of the wolf, 

thou-h while, brindle-and white, and black and-whib' d.i-s are not iiii- 

com II. Thei-e was, however, but one wholly black do- in the two 

villa-cs. Thiswasa vrvy handsom.' animal known bytln^ naiiieof.Mlua 
(■'coal-'). 

livery don- has his n: •and knows it. Their disposition is rather 

qiiairels •.especially anion- t liemsel ves. but they are not parlicie 

larly ferocious, seldom doin- iiKU'e than howl and yelp at a stran-cr, 
and it is not dillicult iisiiallv t ake friends with them. Tlien^ was 



nam Iluopira ■ Tint.s ofllie Ti, 



358 THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 

very little diflknilty in potting the half dozen dogs wliicli we bad at 
the station, and they grew to be very much attached to the laborer 
wiio used to feed them. The uatives treat their dogs well as a rule, 
seldom beating them wantonly or severely. Though they do not allow 
them to come into the houses, the dogs.seem to have considerable at- 
tachment to their masters. Considerable care is bestowed on the pup- 
pies. Those boru in winter are fre(|uently reared in the iglu, and the 
women often carry a young pujjps around in the jacket as they would a 
child. 

We saw no traces of the disease resembling li,\ dioiiliobia. which has 
wrought stuh havoc in (Ireenlaiid and Batlin Land. I once, however, 
saw a puppy apparently suffering from tits of some kind, running 
wildly round and round, yelping furiously, and occasionally rolling 
over and kicking. Theiintives said, " MCiInkfi'Iirua, asi'rua", ("He is 
howling [?];' he is bad"), :in(l some of the boys tiiially took it out on the 
tundra and knocked it on the head. 

The dog harness, dnuii (Gr. anut), consists of a broad strip of stout 
rawhide (from the bearded seal or walrus), with three parallel loops at 
one end, frequently made by simply cutting long slits side by side in 
the thong and bending it into shape. The head is passed through 
the middle loop and a foreleg through each of the side-loops, bringing 
the main part of the thong over the back. This serves as a trace, and 
is firruished at the end with a toggle of bone or wood, by which it is 
fastened to beckets in a long line of thong, the end of which is usually 
made fast to the midcUe of the lirst slat of the sledge. The dogs are 
attached in a long line, alternately on (i|)p(isile sides of this trace, just so 
far apart that one dog can not reacii his leader when both are pulling. 

The most spirited dog is usually put at the head of the line as leader, 
and the natives sometimes select a bitch in heat for this position, as the 
dogs are siii-e to follow her. The same custom has been observed by 
Kumlieu at Cumberland Gulf.^ Ten dogs are considered a large team, 
and few of the natives can muster so many. When the sledge is 
heavily loaded men aiul women frequently help to drag it. The dogs 
are never driven, and except over a well known trail, like that between 
Utkiavwiii and the whaling camp in 1S83, will not travel unless a 
woman trots along in front, encouraging them with cries of " Aii ! aii ! 
tfi'lla! tfi'lla! (Come! come on!), while the manor woman who runs be- 
hind the sled to guide it and keep it from capsizing, urges them on with 
cries of" Kti ! ku ! (Get on ! get on !), occasionally reproving an individual 
dog by name. After they are well started, they go on without much urg- 
ing if nothing distracts their attention. It is not easy to stop a dog 
team when the destiinitioii is reached. Commands and shouts of " Lie 
down! "are sehlom sullicieut, ami the people generally have to pull 

'I failed to get the translation of this word, but it aeems to be connected with the Greenlandic 
mAlavok, lie howls {a dog—). 
'Contributions, p. 51. 



Mi'-i'i'ocn.] DOGS AND DRIVING. 3r)9 

back oil the sled and drai;' l)ack on the liaincss till the (.mmi .•omcs to 
a lialt. 

The leader, who is usually a woman or child sonictinics j;uidfsllic 
team by a Hue attached to the trace, and lacul. Kay says lie has s<'en 
them, when traveling in the interior, tie a piece of blubber or meat on 
the end of a string and drag it on the snow Just ahead of the leader. 
The natives seldom ride on the sledge except with a light load on a 
smooth road. A few old and decrepit people like Yu'ksiua always trav- 
eled on sledges between the villages, and tlu^ people who came down 
with empty sledges for provisions from the whaling caini), always rode 
on the well beaten trail where the dogs would run without leading.' 
The dog whip so universally employed by the eastern Eskimo, is not 
used at Point Barrow, but when Lieut. Ray made a whip for driving 
his team, the natives called it ipirau'ta, a name essentially identical 
with that used in the east. They especially distinguished Tiiirau'ta, a 
whip with a lash, from a cudgel, auan'ta. The latter word has also the 
same meaning in the eastern dialects. 

We saw nothing of the custom of prote(!ting the dogs' feet with seal- 
skin shoes, so prevalent on the Siberian coast.'^ Curiously enough the 
only other localities in which the use of this contrivance is mentioned 
are in the extreme east.-' During the first warm weather in the spring, 
before the dogs have shed their heavy winter coats, they suffer a great 
deal from the heat and can go only a short distance without lying down 
to rest. 

The method of harnessing and driving the dogs varies considerably 
in different localities. Among the eastern natives the dogs are usually 
harnessed abreast, each with a separate trace running to the sledge, 
and the driver generally rides, giriding the dogs with a whip. The 
leader usually has a longer trace than the rest. The harness used at 
Fury and Hecla Straits is precisely the same as that at Point Barrow, 
but in Greenland, according to Dr. Kane, it consists of a "simple breast- 
strap," with a single trace. The illustration, however, in Rink's Tales 
and Traditions, opposite p. 'SM, whicli was drawn by a native Green- 
lander, shows a iiattern of harness similar to that used in Siberia and 
described by Nordenskiold ' as -made of inch-wide straps of skin, form- 
ing a neck or shoulder band, united on lioth sides by a strap to a girth, 
to one side of which the draft strap is fastened." It is a curious fact 
that the two extremes of the, Eskimo race (for even if the people of Pitle- 
kaj be Chukchi in blood, they are Eskimo in culture) should use the 
same pattern of harness, while a different form prevails between them. 
The Siberians also habitually ride upon the sledges, and use a whip, 
and on some parts of the coast, at least, harness the dogs abreast. In 

'Compare D.-iU. Alaska, p. 25. 

'See Hooper. Teuts, etc., p. 195, an,l X,.i,lL-liskiukVVeKa, vol. 2, p. SIC, where one oltlie.se .^lioe.s 13 tig. 



3(10 tin; I'OIXT llAIIItfAV ESKIMO. 

tin- n-ion :il>(iui I'illrkaJ, liowfvcr, the (loss arc hanicssiMl "taiKlcin" 
ill pairs, as is I he case at Niirtoii Siimul, wiierti a, more efficient liar- 
iicss is also used, uliirli is priiliably iiiit Eskimo, lint learned from tlie 
wliites. ' N(ir(lciisi<iiil(i- expresses the opinion that the Eskimo method 
..nla^lles^ill•;■ tiie doj;s ahi.Msf iiiilicates that the Eskimos have lived 
l,.in;vr than "tlie (llinkciiis north of tiie limit of trees; in other words, 
lliat the iiietiiod of iianiessiiiu' thedoji's tandem is the older one. and 
that till- Eskimo liave learned to harness them abreast since tliey left 
the woodland rei;i(iiis. I can liardl\- a.i;-ree with these conclusions, for 
it seems to me that the easiest and most natural method of attaching 
the doji'S woiilil lie to fasten eaidi directly to the sled 1)y its own trace. 
Now, when many dous are attached to the sled in this way, the outer 
doxs<-an not a|ipl\ ihcir sti eiiutli in a direct line but must pull obliquely, 
and, moreover, as \\ c know to lie the case, so many long traces are 
constantly lieconiiii.u entaii.uled. and each individual doji' has to be kejit 
strai.ulit liy tlic driver. If. however, the dogs be made fast to a long 
line, one heliind tlie (itlicr, not only does each pull straight ahead, but 
if tlie leader be kept to the track he pulls the other dogs after him, re- 
lie\ing the dri\'er of the greater part of the care of them. 

It .seems to nic tlicicfore, that the tandem method is an improvement 
in dog haiiic-siim. which has been adojited only by the natives of 
northcastci II t^ibei ia. and northwestern America, and has uo counectiou 
with the wooded or unwooded state of the country.^ 

lUNTING SCORES. 

The only tiling that we saw of the nature of numerical records were 
the series of animals engraved upon ivory, already alluded to. In most 
cases we were unable to learn whether the figures really represented 
an actual record or not, though the bag handle, No. 894:24: [800] 
already figured, was said to contain the actnal score of whales killed 
by old ViVksina. The custom does not appear to be so iirevaleut 
as at Norton kSoniid (see above, p. 1 17). Many of these pos.sible scores 
hiding engia\c(l on i\ory implements have already been described. 
With one exception tliey only record the cajiture of whales or reindeer. 
The exception (No. s'.di!,-) [17.U], Fig. l.').}^) presents a series of ten 
bearded seals. The icindeer are usually depicted in a natural attitude, 
and some ot the cinumstaiwes of the hunt are usually represented, 
for instance, a man is ligureil aiming with a bow and arrow toward a 
a line of I'eindcer, indicating that smdi a number were taken by .shoot- 
ing, while a string of deer, represented without legs as they would ap- 



ni\TIN(! Sf'OI.M 



am 



pear s\viniiiiiii.ii-. lollowrd by a md.' li-iiif of a man in a kaiak, niran 
that so many were laiicc'd in the walrr. ( >l licr incidcnls cC the .aciii 
siou are also sometimes rcpicscntcd. On lliese iccoids the uliale is al 
ways represented l>y a rude ti^nie nt the fail cnl olV al the "small 
and otten represented as lianL;in,i;- from a Imii/onlal line. 



W 



I'l' 



liave ti-nredall .ifthes... Fi- / '.^\* 

.'!(;(• (No. S!)4S7 [|0'J(;| from // 

Nnwuk) is a narrow Hat tablet // 

1 ineli wide, witli a strin- at ll] 

one end to hau-- it ni. l.v. On \ 



nnental | 



i-epr<>sent aetiial scenes, as the 
tablet is not new. 

'J'he fi,i;ui-es on the obverse 
faeearecolored with red oelier. 
At the u]iper end. standing on 

toward the end, is a rudely 
drawn nmn, holdin- his ri-ht 
hand upand his left down, with 
the lingers outspread. At his 
left stands a boy with b,,th 
liands down. Thes.. lignres 
probably r.'present the hnnfer 
and his son. .lust b.^low th.' 





i 




spear to strike an aninnd whieh is perhaps meant for a reindeei- u ithont 
lu)rus. Three deer, also without horns, staml \\itli their feet <m one 
boi'der with their heads toward the ui,]ier end, and on the other border 
near the other end are two bn.-ks wifh largv aiitleis heading the other 
way, an<l l^ehind them a man in a kaiak. I'.etween him and the animal 

ereseent m The sl.ny may perhai-sbe lively translate.l as follows: 

"Wlum Ihe nio(Ui was young th.> man and his son kill.'d six reindeer, 
two of them bucks with large antlers. Om> they sp.Nired on laud, the 
rest they <-hase.l with the kaiak." 

On the reverse the ligures and bor.ler are colored black with soot. 
In th<> left hand lower crner is a she bear and her cub h.siding to tin- 
leli, l.,lloued by a man who is about b. s\un,t an arrow al tln-m. Then 



OW ESKIMO. 



r (•(iiii.T is a wlialf with two Hoats attached to him l)y a, harpoon 
\hovi- tills is an umiak with four meu in it approaching another 
(■ uliich lias all call \ iccoivcd one harpoon with its two floats. The 
ooii which is to lie thrust at liim maybe seen sticking out over the 
(if tlic hnat. 'I'licii come two wlialcs in a line, one heading to the 
aud one In Ihc v\ixM. hi the left-hand upper corner is a figure 
"li may rc|iicsciit a l.oat, bottom ui>, on the staging of four posts, 
ilid not Icaiii tlii> actual history ol' tliis tablet, which was brought 
11 for sale with a uuiuber of other things. 

g. .'{(il (No. 8047.'{ [l.'Utl] from Utkiavwifi) is a piece of an old snow- 
el edge with freshly incised figures on both faces, which the artist 




said r(>i)resented his own record. The figures are all colored with red 
. xhei. ( )u the obverse the flgui-es all stand on a roughly drawn ground 
line. At the left is a man pointing his rifle at a bear, which stands on 
its hind legs tacing him. Then comes a she bear walking toward the 
left followed by a cub, then two large bears also walking to the left, 
aud a she bear in the same attitude, followed by two cubs, one behind 
the other. This was explained by the artist as follows: " These are 
all the bears I have killed. This one alone (pointing to the 'rampant' 




x^SjiSSIWMim 



one) was bad. All the others were good." We heard at the time of his 
giving the death shot to the last bear as it was charging his comrade, 
who had wounded it with his muzzle-loiider. On the reverse, the 
ligures arc in the same position. The same man points his rifle at a 
string of three wolves. His explanation was: " These are the wolves 
1 have killed." 

Fig. .•562 (No. S!)17t |i;!,i4| Irom Utkiavwih) is newly made, but was 
said to be the record of a man of our acquaintance nanieil Mufiiuolu. 
It is a flat piece of the outside of a walrus tusk !)-7 inches hmg and MS 
wide at the broader end. The (igures are incised on one face only, and 



Hl'NTIXG SCORES. 



3(\:\ 



colored with red oelier. The Ihceis di\iilc<l Icn.uiliwise into two ])aiicls 
by :i horizontal line. In the upper i)aiiel, at tlu^ left, is a man I'aeiiif; to 
the right and pointing- a gun at a line of three standing deer, faeiiig 
toward the left. Two ai'e bucks and one a doe. Then come two 
bucks, represented without legs, as if swimming in the water, followed 
by a rude flgnre of a man in a kaiak. Below the line at tlie left is an 
umiak with live men, and then a row of twelve con ventionali/.ed wliales' 
tails, of which all but the first, second, and lifth aic joined to the hor 
izontal line by a short straight line. Tlif ii'coi<i mav lie linndy trans 
lated as follows: " I went out with my gun and killed three large 
reindeer, two bucks and a doe. I also speared two hirge bucks in the 
water. My whaling crew have taken twelve wliales." The niunber of 
whales is open to suspicion, as they just till up the board. 




Fig. .36;$ (No. 50517 [121] from Ftkiavwin) is a piece of an old snow- 
shovel edge 4-2 inches long, with a loop of thong at the ui)])er side to 
hang it uy) by. It is covered on both faces with fieshly incised figures, 
colored with red ocher, representing some real or imaginary occurrence. 

The obverse is bordered with a single narrow line. At the left is a 
man standing with arms outstretched supporting himself by two slen- 
der starts as long as he is. In the midiUe are three rude fignires of 
tents, very high and slender. At the right is a hornless reindeer head- 
ing to the left, with a, man standing on its back with his legs straddled 



diimhnnii.—Thi'sv ]>vi>\> 


le luiVfo 


Ilic iialiiif of nainhlin.u. 


It is pi 


spikes nscl f.,rl)ackiii,^H 


ic liiiw. a 


i;a\ says In- has srcii it pi 


lay.Ml wit 



3,^,4 Tiif. roiNT i'.Ai;i;ow kskimo. 

apart and liis aims ui.lilt.'.l. <»ii tl,.. ivv.Tse, tlicir is ,i„ l..mlci-, but 
a single a,.- and a man win. snpiMats liiniself with a Inng staff are drag- 
Mind nn nieutiiin <il' the use of an.\ such seores among the eastern 
I'lskinni. lint tlu\v are very eiiinnnin among those of the west, as shown 
1)\' the Museum eolleetions. They reeord in this way, not. (»nly liunting 
exi)loits l.ul all sorts of trivial oceurrenees. 

(JAMES AND PASTIMES!. 

.ne game which ai)pears to he of 
1 with the twisters and marline 
I heady described, though Lieut. 
ly bits of sticlc or bone. 1 never 
had an opportunity of watching a game of this sort played, as it is not 
oft.'U jilayiMl at the village. It is a very jioiudar annisenu'Ut at the 
deci- liunting camps, where Lieut. Kay often saw it played. According 
to him the pla.\ias aic di\ided into sides, wlio sit on the ground about 
.'5 yards apart, each side sticking up one of the marline spikes for a 
mark to tliiow the twisters at. Six of the latter, he believes, make a 
full set. One side tosses the whole set one at a time at the opposite 
stake, and tlie jioints wliicli they make are counted up by their op- 
lioncnts from the position vi' the twisters as tlieyfall. He did not learn 
how (he points were reckoned, except that twisters with a mark on them 
counted differently from the plain ones, or how long the game lasted, 
each side taking its turn of casting at the opposite stake. He, however, 
got the inijiression that the winning side kept the twisters belonging 
to their opponents. ;\Ir. Nelson informs me in a letter that a similar 
game is played with the same implements at Norton Sound. 

No. ot!."),'?!! |!l|, from Utkiavwiii, is a bag full of these tools as used 
foi- ]p|aying this game. It contains 18 twi.sters, of different patterns, 
and 7 marline s]iikes. The bag is of membrane, perhaps a bladder. It 
is o\ old in slmpe, all in one piece, wjth a long opening in one side, 
wliich is ch)sed by a i)iece of sinew braid alxmt 40 inches long. This is 
knotted by one end round a fold of nH'nd)raneat one end of the mouth, 
and when the bag is shut n\> is wrapi.ed round the middle of it. 

Some of tliesc ]ieople ha\ c leariu'd what cards are from the Nunatan- 
miun. though they do not know how to n.se them. They described how 

na.tioMs ,,f .Icaling cards. They t,>hl us that the hiUer played :? great 
d.'al. and -gave nnich." This -giving much" evidently referred to 
gambling, for they told (^ai.t. Uerendeeu how two of the "Nuuatan- 
miun" would sit down to j.lay.one with a big pile of fiu-s and one with 
out any.an.l when they got up tiiefurs would all belong to the other man. 
Fig. .-itit (No. :,i\:,:;\ |i'I|) represents some of a bunch of 2") little ivory 
images which wre strung .>n a bit of seal thong. One is a neatly 
carved fox. L'-7 inclies long, and the r.'st are ducks or geese, rather 




(Ill my ii-tiini t<i W;isliiiij;t(iii to liiid tli:il Dr. Fiiiu/, j'xias \v.»\ iinni-hl 

lldlii (' licrlaild (hllf:i liuiiilirr of lnvciM-lv siinil;ir iina.urs. wliicli arc 

there iis.'d rm-i.layiii.t;;! j;aiiie oftlie nature or-'Jaekstoiies." Tlie player 
tosses II]) a liaiidfiil of these ima,ues, and 
seores poinls lor the iiunilier that sit n\> 
liKht when they fall.' it is tl 

niarkalile |Miiiif of similarity between these 
widely separated Kskiiim, lor I 

dh.te'iM.i'nt'.' """ "" '""""'' '"'^' '"""" 1^ ^,,1(111 




We brought home one of tli 
(No. SitSl^O [803] Fig. ;!<M), i 

' Tliia g.imo ia briull.v r.-liriLd to by Jl 



3fifi 



Till', I'OINT HARROW ESKIMO. 

I outsKli IS punted all over with red ocher. The 
111 (UK piuc l)ut the back is irregularly pieced aud 
iiiiiti (1 1>\ 1 tliK I tuft of brown aud white wolverine 
1 uu SI \\(d into tin apex. To the middle of one .side 
d 1 11 mow sill], of deerskin with the hair clipped 
( iion.,h to ^o uii(l( r the weai'er's chin and be knotted 
111! ( (l.,t ot tht other .side of the cap. On the front 
,\ ot thut\ fa\( MKi.sor teeth of the mountain sheep 
_ thunuh I liolt drilled through the root of each. 
_ii1ii1n ,iiduit(d liaviug the largest teeth in the 



tHu.l i-m iil\ 

^<U(d Itlss 
llll lb(Ulf < IIH 

It tht (d„( is 

tlos«,\\llli li is 

into X slit ( lo^i 

(dge IS s< \M il 

b\ athi. id in 
Th( snu- I 

nuddh ind tlit smdltst on the tnds Above this is a narrow strip of 
blown deerskin running two-thirds 
lound the cap and sewed on flesh side 
out so that tlie hair iirojects as a fringe 
below Above t h i s ; i n ■ 1 1 1 ree ornamental 
bands ibout 2 inches ajjurt running two- 
thuds round the cap, each fringed on 
the lower edge with .sheep teeth strung 
IS ou the edge of the cap. The lower 
lo-w (ontaiiis 54 teeth, the middle 29, 
iiid the upper 31. The lowest band is 
111 ide of 2 striijs of mountain sheepskin 
w ith I narrow strip of black sealskin be- 
tween them, and a narrow strip of brown 
deerskin with the hair out; the next is 
I Id 1(1 -^\ In link of coarse gray deerskin with the hair 

out 111(1 thi n]i]i(iiuost ot blown deerskin with the flesh side out 

11h ( ip IS old iiid diit\ lud his been long in use, 

I In ( ustom ot wt.unij, this style of cap appears to be iieciiliar to 

the northwestern Eskimo, as I find no mention for it elsewhere. It is 

perhaps derived indirectly from the northern Indians, some of whom 

ar(! represented as wearing a similar headdress. 

Ill certain parts of the same ceremony as witnessed by Lieut. Ray 

the dancers also wore rattle mittens, which were shaken in time to the 

iiiusic. A pair of these were oftered for sale once, but Lieut. Ray did 

not ciuisidcr tliciii sntliiicntly of pure I'^skiino niaiiufactiire to be worth 

the priic asked for them. They were niadeof seal.skin and covered all 




o\ci tlie hack with einpty Winchester cartridge shells loosely attached 
1(,\ ;i siriiii; tlnoii-li a hole in the bottom, so as to .strike against each 
other wlieii the mitten was shaken. The live men who wore these mit- 
tens wore on their heads the stuffed skins of various animals, the wolf, 
bear, fox, lynx, and dog, which they were supposed to represent. These 
articles were ue\cr ottered tor sale, as they were probably too highly 



We 


coUected h 


-velve wooden masl 


iiuee 


.f tiiese eer 


emouies, though m 



w liieh we were told were worn in 
1' of our party ever witnessed any 



MASKS 



perfoiniance in wliicli tlicy were used. Son 
age. ]Sro.r)(i499 [(>| (Fig. .•!(;(;) luis hc'ii sclrcti' 
(ki'nan, from ki'na, face). This is :i i:itli<>i ix< 
huiiian fncc, S'S indies Idiig und .".-s wide, 
ontofcuttonwood.and 
excavated round the eyes and iiioni 
mouth is represented as w' ' 
ached to the uii<l<-rli 
iucisor.s inserted in a row in the mi( 
brow.s and moustache are marl^ed out w 
traces of red oclier on the clieelcs. The 
edge about on a level with the eyes. < )i 
long enough to go around the wearer'; 
hole on the right side, slit close to tlie ti 
through this. The otlier end is j.assiMl out 



h \vl 
le II 
.hickl( 

of 




¥m. 307 



)f Sll 


iiall ho 


les r 
. T 


oiind the 




•l^'don 


iiis mask 



and made fast witli two lialf liitches. A 

edge of the mask sliows wliere a h 1 lia,' 

is ratlier old and somewliat soiled. 

A very old weathered mask (No. 5»»497 [2;3.5] from ITtkiavwIn), 7-S 
inches long, and made of soft wood, apparently pine, is similar to 
the preceding, but has no tongue, and the teeth in both jaws are rep- 
resented as a continuous ridge. It has an "imperial" as well as a 
moustache, marked with blacklead like the eyebrows. Tlie cheeks 
are colored with red ocher. The edge is much gapped and broken, 
but shows the remains of a deep narrow groove running round on the 
outside about ^ inch from the edge, and pierced with small holes for 
fastening on a hood. 

Figure .'5(;7 (No. S!),S17 [S")!;] also from Utkiavwin) is a mask muih. 
like the jireceding, 7-5 inclies long, and made of sjiruce. II is ])cculiar 



3(5^ I'lii: roiNT harrow Eskimo. 

ill haviiifi the outer coiiieis of tlie eyes nither dei)ressed, aud iu ad- 
dition to'^tlic iiioii'^taehe iiiid imperial has a broad " whaleman's mark" 
(li.iwii with l)l.icK lend aciovs the eve^. It is grooved round the edge 
tor lasleniiig mi .1 hood. Tiic low, 1 init of the face has been split off 
at ihi' rorii('i> ol' the mouth .imi im inii'il on with two stitches of whale.- 
1.011c, aud a piece which wa> hroUcn out at the left-hand corner of the 
mouth i>, m'cummI by a wooden peg at the inner edge and a stitch of 
wiialclx lie on I lie lowci side. This mask has been for a hmg time 
fa•^t( III il to ,111 oiii.imi nil il wooden gorget, and appeared to liave been 
i'\pii-((l In till' \\i ailiei. peih.ips at till' cemetery. The string is made 
,,l unii^ii ill\ -loiil smew hiaid. 

Mil- K iii.iiiiiiiL; loin .mciciit human masks are all masculine, and only 
,„„• 111- iii\ iiiilK.iiion of lahiels. On this mask, No. 89812 [lOtiS], 
I licit- .lie I wo -111. ill holes in the position of the labrets. It is probable 
ih ii ihe wiMiei- ol Ihe-c masks are suppo.sed to represent the ancient 
i;-KiMio, who woie no labrets. A nuisk \\hich was carelessly made for 
sah'^No. Sil.sU [1().">(I1 from I'tkiavwin), however, has large plug-labrets 
carved (mt. Though roughly carved this mask 
is a very characteristic Eskimo face, and would 
almost pass as the portrait of a man of our 
acipiainlaiice in T'tkiavwin, The two little 
roughly carved human faces on the top of 
this mask are probably merely for ornament. 
Xo such things aie to be seen on any of the 
old ni.isks which have been actually used. 
I his in.isU seems to have been whittled out of 

the boiiii f an old meat tray, aud has a 

stiinu ol whalebone. Most of the genuine 
masUs .lie (if excellent workmanship, but two 
''"' "•^-•""^'""-'i"'-""-'- .J,.,, (juite loughly carved. One of these espe- 
cially is such a bungling piece of work that it would be set down as 
commercial wcie il not weathered and evidently old. The painting 
111 \i 1 i;ocs l.irilici 111. Ill marking out the beard and eyebrows with soot 
01 bl.icU lead, .mil soMietiiiK^R reddening the cheeks with ocher. Fig. 
.'.(is \,,. sD.sk; |I.">s;i i'loiii I'tki.nwTn is a very old mask of cotton- 
woi.il. bl.icUene.l wiili .141 .iml -o iikIcIn <-ai\ed that the work was prob- 
,il>l\ iloiic wilh a sioMc tool, li 1- uiooxcil aiouiid the edge for fastening 
on a hood ami is (l-.s in, lie- Uma. 

The only female human masks -rcii aie new and made for sale. One 
of t hesc ( No. ,s<»,Sl!) 1 1().".7 1, Fig. IW.), 1 1 1 .m I ' t k lav win) is roughly whittled 
from the bottom of an old m(>at tray, and has the hair, eyebrows, and 
a single line of tal toning on the chin painted with soot. It is S-7 inches 
long and has strings of whalebone. 

.Vnolhci (No. ,-.(il<»,S [73] from lTtki,i\ w in , is about tlie size of the 
coiiimoii iii.isks ,iii<l tolerabl\ well made. Il has the hair aud eyebrows 
maikeil with bl.ick le.id. The last is afoot long, and like the one fig- 




iired is louglily 


whittled out otth.' bott,,i 


1, ol 


ol<l 


tlif liMJi-, eyt'bi'cM 

with black lead. 

Auothcr "emi 


-vs. and a sin-l,. stiii, ' 

This ran,., fro,,, Itkiax 


tattoo,. 


i;; Ol, ih( 


89813) |1()74) t 
very elaborat.-, 1 


Vo„, ltk,avui,M is 
Hit,o„ol,]ya„d<-an.- 




■^T,^ 


lessly made. It 


is al„,ost tiat. with 







'A 



tin- fcatiiivs hai-dly niis.-.I i„ ,vli,.f. 
Ill carh coiH.T of the „,oi,rl, is i,i 
s.-itcd a sl.-iidcr i\(>n task ah(,i,t 1 
inch Ion-, ai,dbcsi(l,.sth.. eyebrows, 
moustache, and iiiii)eiial, there is a 
broad " whaleman's 'inark" ruuniug 
obliquely across the right cheek from 
the bridge of the nose. Six long- 
feathers are stuck iu the edge of the 
foreliead. Curiously euougli these 
are the feathers of the South Ameri- 
can ostrich, aud came from the feather 
duster in use at our station. ' ' ' " ' 

Fig. 370 (N0.5C49G [2r,8| from Utkiavwin) lepivsents, 
a wolf's face and ears, and is the oi,ly animal mask we o 

It is of cottonw I. .,1,1 a„,l weatl,e,e,l, ai,d is 1-7 inclie 

wi(h'. It is painted on the edgv witl, iv,l ,,el„.r an< 
of the same .'.ilor 
down the ridge of tlie 
nose. The string is 
of whalebone aud uii- 
braided sinew pieced 
togetlier. 

Kig. 371 (\o. S!»M.-) 
fl().-)(»| from rtkia\- 
wTfn is a iiia-k that 




7^\ 






\ f-V 



small to ha\e lu'en 

worn, being onl,\ <>•! 

indies loim and 1-7 
I \\ide. It IS \ei\ old, I,, >7, -\,Tv' , 

madeolbla.'kelied.ot -...11..,,.,, 

toiiuood, and is the indent leiiieseiitalioii of the human f.ice 
we saw. It is simply an oval disk, concavo convex, \\ itii holes , 
the e>es, !,osti ils. and month. Tlie loiigh ctitting about the <1 
])c,iis to li.i\e b,'en done with .i stone tool, and the month seen, - 

smeaied with 1,1 1. ■Ihestiiiig passed thion-h the holes in tl, 

head to haiii; it ,,plp\ i-^ iiuicli newel than the mask, bcjiii; h: 
from cofloi, twine and la-lcned to a conimoii i:,ihani/,ed ho.ir iiai 

'J KTH -11 



fob.' 

' lore 
aid(>d 



370 



THE POINT BAKROW ESKIMO. 



Tilt' iiKiie soutlicri 



Kskiuio of Alaska arc in tlic habit of iisiiij; in 



their .lun<-.'s vorv eh.lx.rat.' and highly omament.a an.l paint.Ml masks, 
,„■ which the Xatioual Museum possesses a very large .olleetiou. Ihe 
■■neient Aleuts also used masks.' On the other hand, no other Ebki- 
ino sav.' those of Alaska,ever use masks in their performances, as far 
■ 1 .■'■iiilcini withtlie solitary exception of the peojile of Ba£&n Land, 
u'licr.' i iirisk of the hi<le of the l.earded seal is worn on .'ertain occa- 
i „ ■ ■-• ' Nordenskiiild saw one wooden mask among the p.'.iple near the 
V<v,«-. printer nuartcs. l,nt l.-arn-d that this had been brought from 
Bering Strait, and probacy from Anicn.-a.' ,, ,„ 

The masks api'car to become more numerous and more elaborate the 
nearer we <^et' to tiie part of Alaska inhabited W the Indians of the 
Tl'inket stock, wlio, as is well known employ, i if their ceremonies re- 
markably elalM.rate" wooden masks and headdresses. It may be sug- 
T.'stcd that this custom of using masks came from the influence of 
Uie^c Indians, reachinu in the simple form already described as far as 
Point Barrow', but not' b.-yond.^ With these masks was worn a gorget 
or breast-plate, consisting of a lialf-moon shaped piece of board about 
IS inches long, painted with ru(b' tigures of men and animals, and 
slang about the neck. Wc Inouglit home three of these gorgets, all 
old and weathered. 

No. 89818 [llSli], Fij^.37Jrtj has been selected as the type of the gor- 
get (sfddmun). It is iiuule of spruce, is 18-5 inches long, and has two 
beckets of stout sinew braid, one to go round the neck and the other 
round the body under the wearer's arms. The figures are aU painted 
on the front fare. In the middle is a man i)aiDted with red ocher; all 
the rest of the figures are black and probably painte<l with soot. The 
man witli his arms (mtstretched standson a large whale, represented as 
spouting. He holds a small whal.' in ea.di hand. At his right is a small 
cross. shaped object which perhaps repn'.sents a bird, then a man facing 
toward the left and darting a harpoon with both hands, and a bear 
facing to the left. On the left of the red nmn are two umiaks with five 
nuai in each, a whale nearly effaced, and three of the cross-shaped ob- 
jects aircixdy mentioned. Below them, also, freshly drawn with a hard, 
lilunt lead pencil or the i)oint of a bidlet, are a whale, an umiak, and a 
threecortu'red oliject the nature of which I can not make out. 

Fig. 'M'2h (No. .")f)4'.l3 |L'(;(i] from Utkiavwih) is a similar gorget, which 
has evidently been long exposed to the weather, perhaps at the ceme- 
tery, as the figures are all effaced except in the middle, where it was 
probably covered by a mask as in Fig. 307 (No. 89817 [855] from the 
same village). There seems to have been a red border on the serrated 
edge. In the middle is the same red man as before standing on the 

1 Sn> Dall, ,\l:iska, p. 389, iind c.ntributions to N. A. Ethn., vol. 1, p. 90. 

»Si-i' Kumlioi. Ciiiitriliuli(Mi.s, p. «. Kinnli™ says iiieroly "amast of akins." Dr. Bo.-i8 is my au- 
ttiurity for ttic .stuteniviit tlial tlm skin of tlic Iii'anUil seal is used. 



MrRi,n,H.| GOKCETS. 371 

Mack wlialf ;nid lioldinj^ a wIkiIc in cad, liand. At liis ri};lit isal)lack 
umiak with tivc men in it. and at liisldt a |iartiall.\ cnaccMriijiun" wliVli 
is perliaps another boat. Tiic stiin-s are put nn /is helbie, .^xccpl (hat 
the two lieekets are separate. The npiier is made of sinew 1. raid and 
the lower, which is nowbroken, of seal tlioni;. 'i'his i;ori;el is I.".-.". ineJH.s 
loM.i;- and l-T wide. No. SilSlT (S.-).-,| (Fij.-. m): already referred to) hasa 
mask tied over the mi(hne by means of (lie bei-kets, so (liat (lie tif;-nres 

•lids. Theed^clsare 



the nudiUe are 




painted red. In tlie miihUe is the same red man or uiaiit iioldiii.tj the 
whah'. The other ti^iucs are painted witli soot. 

Tins man or giant, abh' to hold ont a whale, appears to be a le.^ciid 
ary (■liarae(er. as we have his image earved in ivory. We nntbrtiinately 
did not siice.'cd in learning anything more about him. cxcejit tliat his 
name (apparently) was '• kikamigo." Hanging by the heail to .•acli elliow 
of this tigiire is a seal, andoi.iiosite its thighs t woof the usual c'onveiitioual 



!572 TIIJ'. POINT BAKKdW ESKIMO. 

uiiali's tails, (iiic .Ml caili siile, witli the flukes turned from him. The 
one oil his left is at laclirii to liis waist l>y a straight line from its upper 
ciiiiir. At its liuht liaiid an- a uuiiilicrof objci-ts irregularly grouped. 
At lli<- lop an miiiaii with tivc men towing at a tliree-cornered object, 
wliicii probaliiv rc])n'sciits a dead wliah': tlicii a smaller umiak con- 
laiiiiiig li\<' iiifii anil a|(|iarcMtly " last" to a whale, which is spouting. 
A li'«-ufc al"i\r this, almost oliliti'iatcil. apiicafs to be a small whale. 
jlclow ail' a laruf sral. tliicc of thr cross- shaprd tigures, four small 
\\halr>. anil one liuinv so iniicli I'ttari'il that it can not be made out. On 
Ihc left hand of the ti.uiiic arc twoiiiniaks, and a whale with a line and 
tloaf atlachcd to him, then four crosses and a large seal in the corner. 
lU'low are four whales of dirt'ereut sizes, two bears, and a dog or wolf. 

These gorgets appear to have gone out of fashion, as we saw none 
whicli were not very old, or which appeared to have been used recently. 
From the nature of the figures upon them, they were probably used in 
som(> of the ceremonies connected with the whale fishing. Kika'migo 
may be the "iliviiiitv" who controls the whales and other sea animals.' 

M((!i<iiiiviil cinitriniiicix. — In one of the performances which Capt. 
Ileieiiileen witnesseil, there stood in the noddle of the floor facing each 
other, the stiitlcd skins of a fox and a raven. These were mounted on 
wlialehone springs and moved by strings, so that the fox sprang at the 
ra\eu and the raven pecked at the fox, while the singing and dancing 
went on. These animals were never ottered for sale, but they brought 
over a stuffed fox very cleverly mounted so as to spring at a lemming, 
wliich by means of strings was made to run in and out of two holes in 
the board on which the fox was mounted. (No 89893 [1378] from 
rtkiavwlTi.) We uid'ortunately did not learn the story or myth con- 
nected witli this repi'csentatiou.^ It was the skin of an Arctic fox in 
the summer i)elage, with the paws and all the bones removed, and clum- 
sily stull'ed with rope yarji, not filling out the legs. A stick was thrust 
into the tail to within about two inches of the tip, so that it was curled 
u]) over the back. The skin was taken off whole by a single opening 
near the vent, which was left open, and through which was thrust into 
tlie body a strip of whalebone 2 inches wide and about J inch thick, 
which protruded about 4i inches and was rasteiied to the front edge of 
the hole by tying tlie flap of skin to the whalebone with three or four 
turns of sinew braid, kept IVoiii slipping by a notch in each edge of the 
whalelione. 

Tiie fox was attachcii to a piece of the paneling of a ship's bulkhead, 
-'.) inches long anil 7-r> wide, by bending forward "S-\ inches of the end 
of the whalebone, and lashing it down parallel to the length of the 
board with four luiiis of stout thong, kept from slipping by a notcli in 
eacii edge of the whalebone and running through holes in the board. 

'Tliia vrr.v intiTi'stiii;; apr. iiii, I, „,,-, uniurluiiahlj (lustiDywl by miitlis at tlii^ National Museum 



m™!".!™,] mechanical animals. ,173 

The fox was thus liolil up by the sprinj-- piirallrl In the Icu.ulli of the 
board with its head and tniclc'^s iaisc<l. A striiii;- ol' sinew Itiaid !(• 
feet long was ])asscd thioii.uli a liole in the sept nin of the lo\"s iKise and 
knotted ouce so as to lca\c t\v(i ei|ual ends. Tlirsc ends were i-anied 
dowiT through two lioles, one in i-ach cdi^c of llic hoiud '.l[ inclics from 
the forward end, and. ■acli wastiedtoa rou.^ldy rounded hit of pine stiek 
round whieli it was rceh'd wiicu not in nsr. I'.y pidlini;- llicsc strings 
together, the fox was inaih' to (hirt down his hrad, wliirli was laisfd 
by the spring as soon as tlic string was shirkened. i'.y pulling one 
or the other string tlie fox could be niaib' to dart to one or the otiiei' 
side of the board. 

One man manipulated the fox, pulling a string with each liainl. The 
lemming's lioles were aliont 1:^ inches in dianu'ter, one in cadi edge of 
the board and at such a distance ti'oni the end that wlun the siring, 
which was 7 feet 4: inches long, was draw n thmugli them, it crossed 
the board just where the fox"s nose struck, when it was pulled down. 
The ends of the string were reeled round bits of stick. The Icninnug 
was a narrow strip of wolf's fur, about 3 inches long, doubled in the mid- 
dle, with the middle of tlie string hitched into the bight. By jiulling the 
ends of the string alternately, the leniining was made to jump out of 
the hole on one .side, run aca-oss the board and into the other, very much 
as a live lemming runs from one tuniud to aimtlier on tlic tundra. It 
took two persons, one on each side, to handle the lemming. The fox- 
skin and spring appeared to be older than the rest of the machine. 
The board was originally 111 inches or 1 foot longer at eadi end, l)ut 
had to be cut off to pacdc it. 

Petroff mentions a similar (ustom among tlie '• Nushegagmiit<'" of 
Bri.stol Bay, of introducing stuffed animals moved with hidden strings 
in their performances;' and DalP describes a festival at Norton Sound, 
where a dead seal was brought in and moved about with strings. 

Drxciiiiliiiii (if fcstirals.— It is greatly to be regretted that we had not 
established su<h intimate ndations with the natives, as afterwards 
was the case, in the winter of lS81-'83, since this was the only on<' of 
the two seasons that the great winter festival was held at Utkiavwin. 
In the winter of ]8S!>-'s;{ there had been so many deaths in the village 
that the natives did not feel like celebrating any regular festival, and 
only indulged in a few iminomptu dances late in the season. These 
were unfortunately held in the evening when the writer's tour of duty 
at the station prevented his witnessing them. Those of the party who 
did go over brought back oidy fiagmentary and rather vague accounts 
of the performance. The confining nature of the work at the station 
prevented our witnessing any of the celebrations at Kuwfik or at 
Pernyfi, when the "Nuuatanminn" visitors were entertained. 

The best accounts we have of any performance is given b,\- Lieut. 

I |. ,.,„..,, „ 1:15, ' Alaska, p. 156. 



374 'rill'- POINT HARliOW ESKIMO. 

]{av. He iiiul Capt. I Icreudeeii weut over to TTtkiavwIii by special invi- 
tation on Dweniber 3, ISSl, and wdtnessed one scene of the " wood," or 
" tree dance." Many \isitors were present frojn Nuwnk on the occasion 
ofthis dance, which Listed for two days and nights. On arriving at 
the village they found a crowd of ujiwards of 200 people assembled 
round the entrance of tiie kn'dyigi. In front of the entrance were 
drawn up in line five men and two women dancing to the music of a 
drum and two singers. 

They were all diessed in new deerskin clotlies, with the snow-white 
Ih'sh side turned out, and wore .(Hiical d;ni.-e caps like that already 
described. Tliey kept tiTiie to the iiiiisic with their feet, moving their 
hollies to ri.uht and left with spasnn.dic Jerks. To (piote from Lieut. 
Itay's MS. notes: 

I'.aili (laiiiir in liiiii N|irMii;; t(i thi- frniit :iii<l ill extravagant gestures went through 
Mil- nu'tioiis cil' killiiii; s.'al, wiilnis. ;inil ilrcr, and the pursuit of the whale. Each, 
as hi- liiiislicil. luul. Ills placi- ill the liiH', was cheered hy the crowd, then a<l(le(l his 

Alter all had finished as many as could get in entered the "dance 
house." At one end of tliis a small space was partitioned off with a 
pie<e of an old sail, and from the roof in the middle hung an object in- 
tended to represent a tice. This was made of two oblong boxes about 
(i inches in diameter, open at both ends, the lower about 2J feet long 
and the upi)er about li, hinged together with seal thong. At one side 
hung a woirs skull, and on the other a dried raven. Two performers 
sat in the middle of the tloor with their legs extended (me between the 
other's legs, with his nose touching the tree. A row of old men beat 
dinms and sang, while the performers chanted a mimotcmous song, in 
which could 1)(! heaid the words "rum, tobacco, seal, deer, and 

Presently the bottom of the curtain was lifted and (mt crawled five 
men on all fours, wearing on their heads the stuffed skins of the heads 
of ditVerent animals— the wolf, liear, fox, lynx, and dog. They swung 
their heads from side to side in unison, keeping time to the music, 
uttering :i low growl at each swing and shaking their rattle mittens. 
This the\- kept u|) for fifteen or twenty minutes, while the chant still 
wt'ut on, and the chief performer, with excited gestures, embraced the 
tiee and rubbed his nose against it from time to time. At last all 
"si)rang to their feet with a howl, and ended the dance with wild ges- 
tures." Similar scenes, with new performers, which our party did 
not stay to witness, succeeded this, with feasting in the different 
houses. 

(;apt. Ilerendeen also witnessed a, small dance, lasting only one even- 
ing, whicli bore a ciuious resemblance to some of the so-called "favor 
figures" performed in the "German cotillon" of civilized dancers. This 
kind of dance was performed purely for pleasure, and had nothing re- 



mr 



ligious or (liamatic about it. Tlic iiuisic was ruin 
orchestra of old mi-u, wlio boat drums and s;inj;- ; 
Each person who intended to take part in the dance 
some small article to be given away as a " I'aAor.' 
turn, danced a few unnntes, ami then called on I tli< 
uer he wished to give it to. The latter tlicn rose, ; 
the"tavor," danced awhile with him, and then 
places among the spectators. 

We never heard of any such claboralc -(lonatioi 



)notono\is song, 
ic provided with 
d rising in his 
me of I lie nait- 



1(1 at Ni 

clesnib. 



in .Iiinc, ISS;;, w 
,■ I>all.- Two mi 
It. ilcrcndccn, t. 
, rnfortnimtcly 
it:ition was dccli 



ml ].(■ 



the second k 

to invite Lieut, i.'ny and 

mn'ch was asked and the 
ried"notelMMlsti<-ks.-' 

Dances ill wliieh the <-hildren only tak 
sometimes take place in the kii'dyigi, a 
themselves by daiuang in the iglu. I h; 
seen the natives, espceiall.\' the cliild 
yonng peo]de, dancing in th<- open air, 
dancing was always of very nuuli the sa 
acter. The feet were but slightly nrnvi 
ing tiine to the music, while the body swayed 
giaeelnlly and the arms were waved from side to 
side. -MI the dancing which I saw was rather 
quiet and graceful, but they told us that when 
they got warmed up at a great dance they went 
at it with tremendous vigor, throwing otf tln'ir 
garments to the waist. This dance which accom 
panics the song sung by the children to the 
aurora, however, is more violent. Tlu' dancer 
ch-nches his hsts and, bending liis elbows, strikes 
them against the sides of his body, keeping time fio. 373.-Touth danciug 
to the song and stamping vii;drously wit 
right foot, springing up and down with tl 
from a sketch by the w titer). 

We never heard of any of the licentious t 
by Kgede^ and Kundien.-' 




left knee (see Fig. .'57.3, 



■stivals or orgies described 



■}7(; Tin: point hauhow eskimo. 

Tlic festivals of the eastern Ilskiiiio appear to be less formal and 
elahiirate than tliose in the west, consisting sinii)ly of singini;- and 
dancinj;.' 

TOVS AND Sl'dRTS FOK Clin.DREN AND OTHERS. 

I'liiilihiiKjfi.—Thoniih the childieu amuse themselves with a great 
inan\ sports and iilays, we saw very few toys or playthings in use. We 
brought home six o]>jects which appear to have no use except as play- 
things. 

Fig. 374*/ (Su. sitSDi; [lisii] fiiini Nuwfik) is a whirligig ia principle 
verv like tiiat made lor <-ivili/eil <hihlren. It is a block of spruce, fitted 
with a slialt of narwhal i\ ory. This fits loosely in the straight tubular 
handle, whieh is a sertion ot tli<' branch ot an antler, with the soft inside 
lissnei-ut out. .\ string of seal thong passes through a hole iu the 
middle of I he handle and is fastened to the shaft. This string is about 
s leel long, and aliont half of it is tied up into the hank to make a 
handle for jmlling it. It works very niueh like a civilized child's whii'li- 
gig. The string is wound around the shaft and a smart pull on the 
iianille unwinds it, making the lihick spin round rapidly. The reaction, 
si)inniug it in the ojipo.site direction, winds up the string again. A 
couple of loose hawk's feathers are stuck into the ti]) of the block, which 
is ])aintcd with icd oeher for about an inch. Four equidistant stripes 
of tlie same ((jlor inn down the sides to a border of the same width 
round the liase. 'i'his was made for sale and appears to be an uuusnal 
Io,\ . 1 do not recollect ever seeing the children play with such a toy. 
it is called kai'psa (dr. kavsilk, "a whirligig or similar toy "). 

fig. .■i74/< is a similar whirbgig from Utkiavwin (No. 89807 [1350]). 
'I'he liloik. which is 4-1' inches long, is made of the solid tip of a mountain 
sheeiTs horn, and is elaborately ornamented with a conventional pat- 
tern ot lines and ■■ circles and dots," incised and colored red with ocher. 
The shalt is of haril bone, and the line has a bttle wooden handle at 
the end. The block is so heavy that it will hardly spin. 

Kig. .-iT.") (No. naVM |4(J] from Utkiavwiil) is a teetotum (also called 
kaipsa). The shaft is of i)ine and the disk of .spruce and is ornamented 
with black lead marks, forming a border about one quarter inch broad 

il)cs(ri|i(ions of Eskiiut) fi-stivnls ,ire to be found in Egrale's Greenland, p. 152, and Crantz, History 
of C.rccnhiu.l, vol. 1, p. 175, ivliiTc. lie mentions tlie sun fe.nst held nt the winter solstice. This Tory 
likely corresponds to tlu> December fe.snvahit I'.iiiit r.tunw If fli. I ,l I, i 1». reaUy arite instituted by 
tlu' ancestors oi the present Kslvimo when tin > Ii\. il in l,. , 1 i n ii,i. , i,. celebrate the "winter sol- 
stice, it iseasy touuder.Hland why it .should l.e I,. 1,1 ;,r i, ; , i , - ,,:, i;,,,, by the people of Kotzebue 
Sound, as state,! by Til. Si., iiis..i,,„p,il, |,. -.,_• „i„,, ,, , , t h, , , „„leer mijrht be .succeasfully 

piirsu.-d (hr..,i^l,..::i II:, ^^,,,l>. 1 1 i , ,iii,i h ,,,. , , | , ~;,1. ring the custom in Greenland, that 

tills is the r. I M , 1 i! : ,1 ! .. I III I, , 1,1 the time should be selected by the 

people at !■,,, II ., ,, ■ - i I. I . ,;, ^ , ;in not well be attended to." as Simp- 



S,lnvatkas S. , 
auddetaileili 

.Sh.likhofl. ;,11, 



ilder. 



on eacli 


f;ioe. Tin 


' upper fac 


V is(li> 


.idiMl inl 


o<p,:Mlrai 


Ihi.'S r:i( 


iliatiny tVdi 


111 llic li.ilc. 


, and (■; 


;l('ll (pi;>( 


Iraiit is (1 


iKindsd 


iiic-iiuartcr 


iiicli Imnu 

4 


1. Th, 




r Ih.'so li 




Fig. 374.— Wliirlifxitis. 

tlic, nndcr face. Tliis is siiiiii, like a fommoii teetotum, with the tiiit;ers, 
and does not .seem in be coniinon. I do not recollect ever seeiiij;- any 
one except the maker of this toy spinning one. 



378 

The same is t ru 
is what Americai 
;,n(l tli.ouuli tw. 



POINT HAI 



)\V 



I MO. 




O c faco, in tlic li 

staff; in tlu' lliiid.tli 
fourth, a wiialc willi I 
inj>' iiniiak. On thi^ ( 
walking; tlie second, 



7i.'2 IIOST] { Fig. ;57(J, from ITtkiavwin) which 
lid <'all a. "buzz" toy. It is of pine wood, 
les in the middle are passed the ends of a 
piece of stout sinew braid, whicli are 
knotted togethtr. Wlien the board is 
placed in the middle of the string it can 
unide to spin round and whiz by alter- 
nately pulling and relaxing the ends of 
the string. Tlie board is rather elabor- 
ately painted. One end has a border of 
lark lead on both faces, the other a 
niilar border of red paint, whicli ap- 
cars to be red lead. Broad red bands 
irni a scpiare 1 inch across around tlie 
■s, with lines radiating from each cor- 
ner to the corners of the board, on both 
faces. On the spaces between these lines 
are figures rudely drawn with black lead. 
■st space, is a grtose; in the second, a man with a 
(■on\i'ntional li.uure of a whale's tail; and in the 
ne and tioat attached to him, pursued by a whal- 
her side, the lirst space contains a dog or wolf 
two of these animals, sitting on their haunches, 



g each other; the third, 
in the same attitude. 



another walking ; and the fourth, a rein- 





Fig. .iTT (No. SKSDO |i:!;?l) from Utkiavwin), on the other hand, is a 
toy which the children often play with. It is the well known "whiz- 
ziiig-stick" found among savages in so many widely distant parts of 
tile world, and often used in religious ceremonies. The Eskimo name is 
iiuiglnt a. It consists of a thin board of iiine wood, fa.stened by a string 



of sine 
serves 



C 



DniiU a 
a liaTiil 

l 



Ion- 



uuind. 



Tl,.. li 



::i 



i 




i|.arl, a 
Tliis a 
.I's toy 
icatidii. 



tli^ 



.1 l.n 




for sale, by a lad about tliirteeii 
or fourteen years old. 

Fig. . '578 (No. .")(!( ;s7 |is|| iVoiii 

1 .;' ,^ ' rtkiavwin) is another i.hiytliiiig 

] ■:-''' ';, // rather coinniou with tiie boys, 

J ■ . 'V which takes the phice of the 

J^ Anierieau boy's "bean snapper." 

/ It is known by the name of niiti'- 

1 ^/■/ gbgann, and is arodof ^ 

whalelione, stiff and A 

blaclv, 4-S inches long "; \ 

and ()"•") wide, narrowed 

and bent sharply up for 

about an inch at one 

Kir -)77-wiiiMin-s,Hi •^"^^' <-^" the Upper side 

of this end, close to the 
tip, is a little hollow, large enough to hold a small pebble, ^ 
and the other is cut into sharp teeth. This is i)urely an instru- ^2 
ment of mischief and is used for shooting tiny pebbles at peo- 
])1(" wiien they are looking the other way. Mufiialu showed 
us, with great glee, in an expressive pantomime, how a boy 
would hit a person in the eye with a little pebble, ami. when 
the man turned round angrily, wcmld have the sua]iper slipjicd 
u]) his sleeve and be ooking earnestly in another direction. 
The toothed end, he said, was for mischievously scratching ^^^ _^ 
hairs out of a man's coat when he was looking another way. c.i.m.s.i.ip- 
The "snapper" is used asfoHows: It is held in the left hand, '"' 
a little i)ebble is set in the socket, and the tip of the whalebone bent 
back with the right hand. When this end is let go the elasticity of 
the whalebone drives the |>ebl)le at the mark with considcriibl<> force. 



si 



Ls far as I can learn th 



levous toy is p( 



the >.'orth west. 



380 



PdlXT BARROW EiiKIiMO. 



/)o»s._Thou<;h several dolls and various suits of miniature clothing 
were niiule and brought over for sale, they do not appear to be p(ii)ular 
witli the little girls. I do not reeolleet ever seeing a child i)laying with 
a doll. Those in the collection, indeed, seem rather less intended for 
playthings than as. so to speak, works of art to catch the t\incy of the 
strangers. Such an object is No. S972S [1304] (Fig. 379 from Utkiavwin.) 
This is a luiman head carved out of pine wood, and shouldered off at 
the neck into a stout round peg, which is fitted into the middle of a 



thick elli 



\\\H '///// 



/C. 



*^f^ 



c^ 



the samt^ wood, flat on the bottom and con- 
vex on top. The head is dressed 
in a neatly made hood of thin 
deerskin with the flesh side cut 
oft' round the shoulders and ex- 
posing only the face. The face 
is very neatly carved, and has 
bits of green oxidized copper 
inlaid for the eyes. The cheeks, 
gums, and inside of the mouth 
are colored with red ocher, and 
the hair, eyebrows, and beard 
with black lead. The top of the 
pedestal is painted red and di- 
vided into eight equal parts by 
shallow grooves colored with 
black lead. The height of the 
whole object is 4i inches, and 
the workmanship is remarkably 
good. 

No. S9827 [113S] (from Utkiav- 
win), on the other hand, is very 
ii -( 11 II roughly and carelessly made. It 

is lS-2 inches long, roughly whit- 
tle d out ol 1 ll It piu I (it 1 edw ood bo ird into the shape of a man with his 
legs w idc ip n t >nd liolduu up his h aids on each side of his head. The 
iims ue\en shoit indbioid w ith five fingers all nearly of the same 
length md tlie U^^ ue snnph two straight four-sided pegs rounded on 
the cd^ts It is dusked in i hood( d frock of seal gut reaching to the 
kntts md h u in., oiil\ the f ice iiid hands uncovered, and has sealskin 
kn( e boots on tlu le^s 1 lit t ice l^ i udely in relief, with two narrow bits 
ot i\oi\ ml ud loi eves md i long canine tusk of the same material 
nis( 1 1( d 111 ( i( h ( 01 nei ot the mriuth, Three small round bits of wood 
in ml ud m the fou lu id, om in the middle and one over each eye, and 
oiu m tilt ii„ht (luck d)o\( tht toiner of the mouth. The gut frock 
Is ( IK 1( s^h ill i(l( ol II r( gul 11 pi( ( ( s It is trimmed round the bottom 
and tin tdge of tht hood with i ^tiip of dogskin, but is left with a raw 




:\Hi 




edge round the wrists. The 
regular waterprooC Ixiots. 
■nitli M)le>i of \^liitf mmNKiii 
and .1 hand lound the top 1 
iu( Ii widi of rlic -.uiic iiiatc- 

ll,d. A sholt |M'U pioicctv 

fiolti tin- t<>i. <>t the l(ii( Ik, id. 

A stimjiof ^tout -mew hi.iid 

about 2 h-et lony is ]i,i^>-( d 

through a hole in tlic Miid.llf 

of the body and a knot tied 

in the end in front. Tliough 

the design is elaborate the 

worlaiianship is very rude. 

and the elothes seem to be 

made of odds aud ends. Tlie 

maker perliaps had in mind 

a fabulous man with teeth 

like a walrus, about whom 

we heard some fragmentary ~?i 

traditions. 

Fig.;is(MNo.s-tS2(i [i;55sj ^- ^'- -^ 

, ' ,' Fiu. :iSo.— ll.-cliani(:il tloll: ilniin i.kiv.r. 

tliough somewhat rouglily 

mad(>, mechanical doll. it represents a man dressed in deerskins 
.sitting with his legs outstretehed aud holding in his extended left 
hand a drum and in his right a stick, as if beating the drum. 
The arms are of \\ halebone, and b\- pressing them he can be made to 
beat the drum. Tlie <loll is made of a single piece of wood — a knot with 
two branches, which mak.- the legs. (I learned this from ('ai)t. Heren- 
deen, who saw this doll at the village before it was tinish.'d., The 
height of the sitting hgure is 11.^ inches. 



^^ 




A still more ingenious mechanical toy which, however, like the pre- 
ceding, was made for sale, is shown in Fig. .'.■SI (No. siis.-,,-, 1 1.!")! | from 
Utkiavwin). This is a man sitting in a kaiak iu the attitude of paddling 



3S2 TllE POINT liARROW ESKIMO. 

t)ii till' left side with ;i single-bladcd paddle. His iirni.s are of whale- 
bone, and by means of strings lie can be made to paddle and turn bis 
head from side to side. The kaiak is 2!> inehes long, very neatly carved 
from a single block of wood, and solid except at the cockpit. The bot- 
tom is Hat, to allow it to stand on the floor, but it is otherwise precisely 
of the model of the kaiaks iu the Museum from the Mackenzie and 
Anderson region. The nation who made it called it a "Kunmu'd'Hn" 
kaiak. It is ))ainted all over with red ocher, except on the bottom. The 
figure has no legs and fits into the cockpit, which is without any coam- 
ing. The head is sei)arate and mounted on a long, slender pivot, which 
is titled into a hole in the neck just loosely enough to allow it to turn 
easil.N . It is dressed in a hood of seal gut. The face is very natural, 
tiioimii latlier rudely carved, and is lightly colored all over with red 
oilier, with tlie mouth painted deejily red, and the eyebrows, eyes, nos- 
trils, and beard marked with black lead. The arms are narrow strips 
of whaleliouf, the ends of which imitrude at the wrists, and are tied to 
the paddle by the ends of the strings wliieh work it. The body is cov- 
ered witii a gut sliirt. 

Tiie iiaddle is of the ((muiiou shape, and has the blade and the lower 
end of the shaft painted red. The strings for working this contrivance 
are of fine sinew braid. One string is tied into a little hole in the edge 
of the hood, where the left ear would be, the other passes round the 



edge of the 1 d, and is tied at the right ear. These strings cross back 

cf the head, and pass through two neat little ivory eyebolts inserted 
in tliede<k, I ineli abalt the cockpit, and 1 inch ai)art. The strings 
from the hands are not crossed, but pass tlirongli two similar eyebolts, 
one at each edge of the d.'ck. L'-:. inches from tlie cockpit. The ends of 
each set nf strings are tied togcthei-. Wlien the right pair and left 
pair of strings are ]iiilled alternately, the man makes a. stroke and h)oks 
to the right, tlicn ••rec,.vers" and looks to the lelt. Both stroke and 
■•recovery" are aided by the <-lasticily of the arms. This specimen 
shows a great deal of mechanical ingenuity, and was the only fini.shed 
object of the kind seen. 

Fig. .•isii (X,,. siis.-.d |7s;;] from Ctkiavwin) is a kaiak intended for a 
similar toy. which. « hen brought over for sale, had an unfinished arm- 
less doll in tlie cockpit. 'I'his was. unfoi'tunately, lost in unpacking. 
The kaiak. which is L'T-t; inches long, is not new, but has been freshly 
scrajied and painted on .lei'k. It is also a foreign kaiak, being iirei-isely 
like a model brought by Mr. Ncls.m fnun Xorton Sound. It is not un- 
likely that thisl,„at itself came fidin that region through the •■Nunataii- 



miuii," unless. |)ossil)Iy 


.a snnthern Uaiak had |>asse(l lhn.n,-li 


1 tiiel 


of eiiouiili people to r 


eaeh ii point where some Point I'.ai' 




might see it. As far 


as we know no Point Harrow native 




regions where this torn 


1 is nse.l. a!ld the nio.lei seems too ;i 


irenia 


have been niaile IVoiii a 


descri|)tion. 




Jltrniilr iiiiplniinits.- 


-We sometimes saw llie ehildivn pi 


a\ ing 


little models of the in 


iplenieuts ami utensils used by the 





Perhaps the commonest thing of this sort is the boy's bow. As soon 
a.s a boy is able to walk his father makes him a little bow suited to 
his strength, with blunt arrows, with whiili he plays witli the other 
boys, shooting at marks — for iustauee, the fetal reiiah'er biouj;lit home 
from the spring hunt — till he is old enougii to shoot small hiids and 
lemmings. We also saw children playing with little drums, and one 
man made his little boy an elaborate ka'moti about i feet long. In the 
collection are a number of miniature implements, spears, etc., some of 
which have been already' described, which were perhai)s intended as 
playthings for the children. As, however, they were all n(>wl.\ made. 
it is possible that they were merely intended to catcli the fancy of the 
strangei's. 

No. S<»-1.-)] [1113], from Nnwnk, is a little sm.w shovel t-.", inches long, 
with a blade I'-l inches wide, rattier roughly <-arved from a piece of wal- 
rus ivory. 

No. 89(i95 [ll'.SO] from Dtkiavwii-|. is a simihir model of a deer lance. 
7 inclies long, all in one piece and made of reindeer antler. 

No. 80797 [1180] from UtkiavwiiT, is a (piite well made model of the 
drum used for aecomiiaiiying singing and dancing, and is almost large 
enough to have been used for a plaything. The stick is entirely out of 
proportion, being merely a loughly whittled bit of lath, 13 inches long. 

Games and spurts. — The men have very few sjiorts, though 1 have 
.sometimes known tiiem to anuise themselves by shooting at a mark 
with their rilles, and I once heard of a iiumbei- of them wrestling. 
As far as 1 <-ould leaiii. they wrestle •• cal<-h-as-cat<'h-can " without 
any particular system. We never heard of anything like the alldetic 
.s])orts mentioned l>y Ivgi^le' and Crantz- or the pugilism desciihed 
by Schwatka among the peo]ile of King William's Land, when two men 
staml np to .•adi oth.'r and exchange butfets till one or the other gives 
in.' The women aiv very fond of playing •• cat's cradle " wh.Miever 
they liave leisure, and make a number of complicated tigures with the 
string, many of which rei>resent varhms animals. One favorite figure 
is a very clever repiesentation of a reindeer, which is made liy moving 
the lingers to run down hill from one hand to the other.' '.Vnotlier 
favorite amusement with the women and children istos.siug three bullets 
or small pebbles with the right hand, after the manner of a juggler. 



'Scii-IlCf, vol. 4, No. 9fl, p. r.4.i. 

' Hall (Arctic I;cs(tarili<-s. p. rjO) s.iys tlio •' cat's cradle 
where thoy make many ligiues, iucUicling representations 



3S4 TIIK rOINT HARROW ESKIMO. 

kci'piiis- one ball coiistiuitly in tlif air. Some of the women are very 
skilllurat this, keepinj;- the balls up tor a long time. This play is 
aceonipaiiied by a t-hant sunt;- to a monotonous tune with very little 
air. l)ut strongly marked time. 1 never succeeded in catching the words 
of this chant, which arc uttered with considerable rapidity, and do not 
appear to be ordinary words. It begins " yu'B ym yuk^, jti-b yuB yukii; " 
and some of the words are certainly indelicate to judge from the uue- 
(piivocal gestures by which I once saw them accompanied. 

In the winter the young women and girls are often to be seen tossing 
a snowl)all witli their feet. A girl wets some snow and makes a ball about 
as big as her two fists, which of course immediately becomes a lump of 
ice. This she balances on the toe of one foot and with a kick and a 
jump tosses it over to the other foot which catches it and tosses it back. 
Some women will keep this up for a number of strokes. 

The young people of both sexes also sometimes play football, kicking 
about an old mitten or boot stuffed with rags or bits of waste skin. I 
nciver saw them set up goals and play a regular game as they did in 
Greeidand.' 

The little girls also play with the skipping rope. 1 once watched 
three little girls jumping. Two swung the rope and the other stood in 
the middle and jumped. First they swung the rope under her feet to 
the right, then back under her feet to the left, and then once or twice 
\\ holl> round under her feet and over her head, and then began again.^ 
They also play at housekeeping, laying sticks round to represent the 
sides of the house, or outlining the house by pressing up ridges of 
snow bcitwcen their feet. Sometimes they mark out a complicated laby- 
rinth on the snow in this way, and the game appears to be that one 
shall guard this and try to catch the others if they come in, as in many 
of the games of civilized children. 

I have already spoken of the tbrmal children's dances. They often 
also dance by themselves, beating on old tin cans for drums. One 
night I saw a party of children having (piite an elaborate performance 
n(!ar our station. The snow at the time was drifted u|> close under the 
eaves of the house. On the edge of the roof sat three little boys, each 
beating vigorously on an empty txunato can and singing at the top of 
his lungs, while another boy and a little girl were dancing on the snow 
waving their arms iind singing as usual, and at the same time trying to 
avoid another girl ab(rat thirteen years old, who represented a demon. 
Slie was stooping forward, and moving slowly round in time with the 
nnisic, turning from side to side and rolling her eyes fiercely, while she 
licked the blade of an open clasp knife, drawing it slowly across her 
lips. They seemed intensely in earnest, and were enjoying themselves 
hugely. After dancing a while at the station they went over to the 
village, and as they told me the next day spent the whole night singing 
in a vacant snow-house. 



I S»« Eficde, p. 161, aurt Crantz, vol. 1, p. 177. 
' Compare Parry's Second Voyage, p. 541. 



Misir. 
in tin' wiiit 



3Rf 



Tlicy also iimiisi' tliciiistlvcs m tlii' winter by slidiii;. 
down tlie steepest sn<i\v(hitts under tiie clills. A puul deal of tlie 
time, however, they are following their parents or otiier .i;io\vn people, 

eatehinj; little flsh or f'etehing twiss for tirew 1 or hel])in« drive the 

dogs, thoiijih as a rule they are not made to do any ref,Milar work until 
tlicy arc pretty well jirown. 



Musical instrnments.— The only musieal instrument in use anioiij; these 
people is the vuiiversal drum' or tambourine (kelyati), eonsistiuK of a 
membrane stretched over a hoop with a handle on one side, and used 
from Greenland to Siberia. It is always aecompauied by tiie voice 
singing or chanting. The player holds the handle in his left lian<l with 
the membrane away from him, and strikes alternately on each side of 
the rim with a short heavy piece of ivory, or a long slender wand, ro- 
tating the drum slightly at the same time 
to meet the stroke. This produces a loud, 
resonant, and somewhat musical note. There 
appears, however, to be no system of tuning 
these drums, the pitch of the note depending 
entirely on accident. 

We collected four of these drums, of which 
every household possesses at least one. 
They are all of essentially the same con- 
struction, but vary in size. No. 50741 [79J, 
Fig. 3.s;}, has been selected as the type. The 
frame is a flat strip of willow 07 inches long, 
1 inch wide, and 0-3 inch thick, bent till the 
two ends meet, thus making a hoop --!•- 
inches long and 19 inches wide. The ends 
are fastened together by a strap of walrus 
ivory on the inside of the hoop, secured to 
the wood by neat stitches of black whalebone. 
ivory 5-2 inches long. The larger end is rather rudely carved into a 
human face. Back of this head and 1 inch from the large end of the 
handle is a scjuare transverse notch, deep and sufliciently wide to fit 
over both rim and strap at the Joint. It is held on by a lashing of sinew 
braid passing through holes in rim and strap, one on each side of the 
handle, and a large transverse hole in the latter, below and a little in 
front of the notch. The membrane, which appears to be a sheet of the 
peritoneum of a seal, is stretched over the other side of the hoop, which 
is beveled on the outside edge, and its edge is brought down to a deep 

' Xonlonal<iolii calls this " tin- ilniiil, nv morn correctly, taraboiiriuo, so common among most of the 
Polar pcojilcs. Knropcan. Asiatic, atul American; among the Lapps, the Samoycds, the Tungusos, and 




The handle is of walr 



3K6 



;ai;i;(i\v k.skimo. 



""I' 



wi(U- 



runiniu 



1.1.0(1 



tlllll'S 

ri.uml 




CX 



groove 0--' iiii'Ii I'l'.iii tlu; ('(l.^e ot t 
n.uiul tlic hoop, where it is seem.' 
I.niid. Tlie end of this stiiiiji- is ci os 
louiid tlif haiulUswlicic, it is fitted t( 
it and tiiiislicd off witli a knot. 

No. .".ilTlli |5U|, froiii IJtkiavwIu, is a. similar dniin, but somewhat 
laiucr. flic hoop beiiifi 24-(! iuches loiiK and 22 inches wide. It is of 
thi' same materials, except that the strap at the joint is of reindeer 
aiitk'r. Opposite tlie Joint the hoop appears to have shown signs of 
wealuiess, as it has been strens'thened with two straps of walrus ivory, 
one on the inside and one on the outside of the hoop, fastened together 

by stitclies of sinew 
which pass through the 
wood and through both 
straps. The inside strap 
is 4-7 inches long, the 
outer 3'5 inches long, 
and only half the width 
of the rim, and is let into 
thelatter. Tiiisstrapap 
■ pears to have been put 
on first, as at each end 
■^ there is a stitch whicli 

only runs tlirougli the 
The handle is fastened (.n as before, but has tw(. transverse 
instead of one, and has four deep rounded notches for the fingers. 
Mg.;!S4.) Tlie Joint is tightened by driving a thin sliver of wood 
in at the bottom of the notcli. 

No. .".(i7i:{ I'.W]. from rtkiavwiu, closely resembles the type, but has 
a notch for the thumb us well as for the forefinger on the handle. The 
hoop is 2;5-5 inches long and 21 wide. No. .^)f)740 [80] from the same 
village is rather smaller than the ordinary drums, having a hoop l(i-2 
inches long and 14-7 wide. The haudle is of antler, but has the usual 
faccn the hirge end. 

We als(, brought home eight handles for these drums, whicli exhibit 
but sliglit variati<.iis. The commonest nuiterial for the handle is wal- 
rus ivory. < )nly two out of tlie twelve are of antler. They are usually 
about ."> inches long (the longest is 5-4 inches and the shortest 4-(j). 
Ihindlcs witli grooves for the fingers and sometimes for the thumb seem 
to l.c (|uitr as common as the plain handles. Fig. 3S5f( represents an 
iv(.ry liandie from Niiwuk (No. SDIMm |S!)S] ), which luis a groove for 
eacli finger and a sliallow one on the iii;ht side lor the tiiuinb. It is 5 
inelies long. 

With oneexception all tliesc handles have the large end more or less 
neatly carved into a human lace, with tlie mouth open as if singing, 



wood, 
holes i 

(Sc 



>ilioii sliiiuii III (Ik s|,i, 
. ./') I luiHlli ol mild 

11(1 lo lllll ol III, h ,11(11, 



probihh tioiii III 1(1, I siiiiil II lo 
of civilized couutu, > oiii um nt tl 
faces This tue is nsmlh iii 
fij;''irt-<l, Imt No s'lji.i. j7st| ( 

ITtkilWMll Ins th, l\ls„| III, |„ 

(ii-iiaiiii lit itioii rii( \ 11, both III w Mills i\,)i\ 111, loiiii, ilir 
carv, ,1 li,e it the 1 lu, end with sm ill bin, b, i,ls ml ii,l I,m , \ 
additidii to this th( sm ill ( ml h is b, , n i itli, i h.shh ,ii\,,| 
ratli(_i Hide seal's lie id m,l m mii im, iif il |iitt,iii Ins bi , n 
nmiid the middle This sp, i mi, n ,\hibiisili, ^ioo\,sloi lli, 
very well Tht Uttd is i pi uii h mdl, but Ins i jiith sli n 



:?S7 

idsis 



w,ll 
III 



IK ised 
liiiffeis 
p tusk 




inserted at each corner of the mouth. Thi' only iniidic withi 
face on the larjje end (Xo. r>ii.-)14 l(l.".| Fiu. ;;s,-.r. tVom I' 
l)e(^uli;ir in iinny resjiects. It is the butt end of a small w 
with a hir.i^c pulp cavity, the edges of wdiich aiv iiiin'h i 
irivgiilarly biokiMi. Th,! notch for tittiug it to the haiu 
smaller end, which is neatly ,'ar\'cd into a V'cry good (igiir, 
head, with the tusks bent back to tiie under side of the h 

head has ,)val bits ,)f w 1 inlaid for eyes. None of tl 

handles in th,' coll,','tioii are m^wly made. 

Th,' sti;-k ,Miiphiy,'(l for b.'ating flies,' .Iriims is eoinmon 
ela.stic wand about -'.^ feet long, but they also sometimes 



It a linmaii 



,1 and 
at the 
ivalrus 



3S8 TIIK I'dlNI' BAKKDW ESKIMO. 

tlii.-k stick of ivoiv icsenil.linu that iiswl l)y the eastern Eskimo.' We 
l.rou-lit home two of these sticks, both of which belonj;- with the drum 
No. :^;74.! |:il]. Fig. mUi (No. .">(m4(I |.UJ) is a roughly eylimlrical rod 
,,r Ivoi V with a hole for a lanyard. The larger end is ornanient.'d by 
nulciy incised and darkened lines whic^h represent the eyes and outline 
of th.'- mouth of a "bowhead" whale. Fig. 3866 (No. 56540 [31a]) is a 
plain round stick of ivory it-4 inches long. It is rather roughly made 
and somewhat warped. The use of the long stick is perhaps derived 
from Siberia, where the short thick stick does not ap])ear to be used.- 
Iloh's in the membrane of the drum are smuctinics iinnded witli 
pieces of tlie crop of the jytarmigau. At any rate, tliis is wiiat I was tohl 
by a native, who begged from me the crops of two of these birds that I 
was skinning, saying that he wanted them to mend his drum. These 
drums are always b(?aten as an accompaniment to invocations of spirits 
or incantations. This practice is so common that some authors are in 
the habit of always speaking of them as " shaman drums". As I have 




already stated, their most common use is purely as a niusicai instru- 
ment, and they are used not only by the sof'alled "shamans" but by 
('veryt)ody. 

Chnrdcter and frcquvnvii of music. — Their music consists of monoto- 
nous chants, usually with \-ery little perceptible air, and i)itched gener- 
ally in a iiunor key. I could not perceive that they had any idea of 
'•tune," in the musical sense, but when several sang together each 
pitched the tune to suit himself. They, however, keep excellent time. 
The ordinary songs are in " common" or | time.^ The words are often 
extemporaneous, and at tolerably regular intervals comes the refrain, 
" A yana y.ifia, a ydna ya," which takes the place of the " 4mua a,ia " 
of the eastern Eskimo. Sometimes, when they are humming or singing 
to themselves, the words are nothing but this refrain. Their voices^ 
as a general thing, are musical. 

Like all Eskimo, they are very fond of music, and are constantly 



, i>t. 



581. (The people of Smith Sound use tl 
-ry's 2(1 Voyage, pi. opposite p. 530. ai 
est shore of Hudson Bay are described i 



MUBDOCH.] MI'STC. ;5S|t 

singing and humniing to tlicnisclvfs, somciiiiics, iici-onlinj; to ('apt. 
Herendeeu, waking up in tlie niglil to sing, r.csidcs ilicir icgidai- I'cs 
tivals tbey often auuisc themselves jti tlicir houses by singing lo the 
drum. They are fond of civilized niusie, and, iiaving ii.siially very ([uielc 
and rather acute ears, readily catch the tunes, which they sing with 
curiously mutilated words. We found " Shoo Fly" and " lattle llrown 
Jug" great favorites at the time of our arri\al, and one ohi woman 
ft-om Nuwiik, told us with great glee, how Magwa (Maguire) used ti> 
sing " Tolderolderol." Our two violins, the doctor's and the cook's, 
were a (constant source of delight to them. 

('apt. Parry' gives an excellent account of the nuisic of tlie peoph' of 
Fury and Heela Straits.- 

I regret extremely that I was not enough of aniusician towiitedown 
on the spot the <lilferent tunes sung l>y tliese peoi.le. The ordinary 
monotonous chant is so devoid ol' air that 1 can not possibly recollect 
it, and the same is true of the chant wliich accompanies the game of 
pebble-tossing. 1 was able, however, to catch by ear the song sung 
by the children when they dance to thc^ aurora. I never had th(! whole 
of this song, which we were told had a large number of stanzas. The 
first three are as follows: 

1. Kioya kt-. ki..yii kc, 
A, yiuK, yafn:, y:i, 
Hwi, hwi', Invi, lnvi! 

2. Tu(llimau:i, trKlIiiiiaiui, 
A<*':inT!, yarn;, ya, 
Hwi, hwi, hwi, hwi! 

H. Ivahitauu, kalutauii, 
A ysun!, y;in«, ya, 
Hwi, hwi, hwi, hwi! 

We did not succeed in learning the meaning of these words, except, 
of course, that the iirst word, kioya, is aui ora. When there is a bright 
aurora, the children often keep on dancing and singing this song till 
late into the night. A tune was introduced in the spring of I8s;5 by a 
party of men from KilauwitdwTn, who came up to take part in the 
whaic-fishing at Utkiavwln. It became at once exceedingly popular, 
and everybody was singing or humming it. It is peculiar in being in 
waltz or -i^ turn'., and has considerably more air than the ordinary tunes. 
I heard no words sung to it except: "O liai hai yana, O hai yana, O 
haija he, haija he." Mr. Dall informs me that he recognizes this tune 
as one sung by th(i Indians on the Yukon. 



The artistic sense appears to be nuich more highly developed anumg 
the western Eskimo than among those of the east. Among tlie litter. 



390 Tin: roixT harrow esktmo. 

(Iccoration appears to be applied aliiKist solely to the clotliins-, while 
tools ami utensils aie usually left plain, ami if oinaiiieiit.Ml are only 
adorned with earvin^ or incised lines.' West of the :\laekenzie Kiver, 
and espeeiallv south of liciinu Strait, Eskimo decorative art leaches 
its higliest developnienl. as siiowii by the collections in the National 
Museum. Not only is everything- linished with the inosi extreme care, 
hut all wooden objects are gaily painted with various pi^meiifs. and all 
artielcs of bone and ivory are covered with ornamental <iirvin,us and 
incised lines forming conventional patterns. 

There are in the collections also many objects that ajipear to have 
been made simjdyfor the pleasure of exercising the ingenuity in rein-e- 
senting natural or faiicifui ohject-. and are thus purely works of ai't. 
Want of sjjace forliids any further discussion of these interesting 
o])jects. There is in the Museum suliicient material for a large m(um- 
graph on Eskimo art. As would naturally be expected, art at Point 
r.arrow occupies a somewhat intermediate position between the highly 
<lcvcloped art of the southwest and the simple art of the east. 1 have 
given sutlicient tigures in my description of their clothing and various 
iniplcnicnts to illustrate the condition of purely decorative art. A few 
words iiia> lie added by way of r6sum(5. It will be noticed that wheu- 
e\er the bone or ivory parts of weapons are decorated the ornamenta- 
tion is usually in the form of incised lines colored with red ocher or 
soot. These lines rarely represent any natural objects, but generally 
form rather elegant conventional patterns, most commonly double or 
single borders, often joined by obliijue cross lines or fringed with short, 
pointed i)arallel lines. 

A common ornament is the incised "circle and dot," so often referred 
to in the foregoing descriptions. This is a circle about one-quarter inch 
in diameter, described as accurately as if done with compasses, wath a 
deeply inci.sed dot exactly- in the centei'. This ornament is much more 
common sontli of i'.eiing Strait, where, as Mr. L. M.Turner informs 
me, it is a conventionaliz.Ml lepresentation of a- flower. S(mie of the 
older iiii]ilciiieiits ill our collection, oniaiiiented with this tigure, may 
lia\c liceii olitaiiH'd by trade from the soiifliern natives, but the I'oint 
I'.arrow peojilc <-ertaiiily know how to make it. as there are a nundier of 
n.'wlymade articles in tlic collection thus oinameiited. rnfortunately, 
we saw none of these olijects in the process of manufacture, as they 
w.Tc made by the natives dniing odd nKuneuts of leisure, and at the 
lime 1 did not realize the imiiortanee of llndiug out the process. No 
tool liy u iiicii iliese ligures could be made so accuratelv was ever offered 
for sal... 

Ncit her .Mr. Turner nor M v. I )all, both of whom, as is well known, spent 
long periods among the iiati\cs of the Yukon region, evc^r observed 
till- process ol making this ornament. The latter, however, suggests 
tiiat It ispeihapsdone with an iinpiox i.sed eenterbit, made by sticking 

'.Si... tin. various :i,,ouiil.s ul ll,,- last.ni Hskiliio already raferredto. 



MURi...™.! ART. nOl 

arc (Ici'oiatr.l only witli (■onv(Miti..nal ]iatt(>nis. ollin' iinplriiinils (,r 

lioi r ivory, .■specially tllosi' iicilaiiiin.i;- to llic rhasr. likr tlir si-al 

(Ira.u's. etc.. already mciitioii.'d, arc tVr(|iicntly carscd into llir sliap.- of 

iii-s of animals- heads usually liav.' the iiioulli, nostrils, cl,'., in.ii.'alrd 
by l.la<-k.Mi.-(l incisions, and often iiavc small, cdorcd heads, hits <,r 

w 1. or ivory inlaid tor tin- eyes. Wlicn heads arc us.mI, the jicrfora- 

tion of tlu- head is generally made to n^iMCMMit tlic ]in]iil of the cy.-. 
Beads were also used foi' ornamenrin- dislics and ot hci' w ooden ohjci'ts. 

The harpc blade boxes of \v,,od caived into the shape of I he animal 

to be pursued have been alivady deserih.Ml. Other wooden ohjeets. like 
the shaftsof lances, and an (i\v>. jiaddlcs. boxes, dishes, the woodwork of 
.suuwshoes, slcdp-s, umiaks, etc., are frcipnadly painted .Mthcr all over. 

times set olt' with snipes of black lead. The only i-asc in which a ditfer- 
eut i)i.iiiiuMit is used is that of some arrows from Sitlaru. which, in addi- 
tion to tlie usual black or red rin-s. hav.' a rather dii,i;y ,i;reen ring 
round the shaft. This -reen looks as if it mi-ht have been derived fi'om 
tl .i;reen fun.Lius oi- ;»:/:-». " mentioned liy Dallas in use amon.u tlie an- 
cient Aleuts.' The red ocher is ajipli.'.! smoothly in a rather thin coat 
winch looks as if it were always ]iut on in the mauuer observed by 
(Japt. Ilereiideeii. who saw a man paintiu.ua new sled atUtkiavwih. He 
licked the freshly scraped wood with his tongue, so as to moisten it 
with saliva and then rubbed it with a lumii of red ocher. The custom 

ot'paintiug w len objects with red oehei' seemed to be rather more 

common among the •• Xunatanmiuu," from wliom iierliajis the Point 
Harrow iieoi)le borrowed the fashion, which is not mentioned among the 
eastern Ivskimo. Noi denskiiild states that red is the favorite color 
auKUig the natives of I'itlekaJ.' 

The ])ainting of the arrow shatts in many cases cuiiously i-esendiles 
the marks used by modern archers to distinguisli the ownership of their 
shafts, and amy have lornuMly served the same purpose. \Ve made no 
inipiirics about the matter on the spot, and there is no certain evidence 
in the scries of arrows collected that these aie or are not marks ofown- 
eiship. Some arrows, apparently the propeity of tlie same man, have 
diffeicnl marks, while arrows from dilfcrent villages are similarly 
marked. On examining our s.aies of tift\ arrows from the three villa.ges 
(lourtceen from Nnwiik. twenty from lUkiavwiM. and sixteen from 
SJdiru) it will be seen that the conunonest style of ]iainting is to have 
Ihe'shaft paint..l red from the beginning or mi.ldleof the feathering to 

about one lifth of its lenglh fr the head. Tu enty arrows are marked 

in this \vay— eleven from Nuwnk. belonging to at least two distinct 
.sets, and nine from I'tkiav win. b.'longing to three sets. >;ine have 

~" iC„n,,il,„Ii„n. t.. N. A. Klhn , v.,L 1. p. ^«. 'Vega, v,.l. :;, p. UD. 



3il2 THK POINT BARROW KSKIMO. 

alioiit s iuclies of tin- middle of the shaft painted red, with a hlM± ring 
at the middle of the feathering. Seven of these are fi-oni 8idaru. one 
from Xuwuk. ami our from Utkiavwiu. Five from Sidarn have a red 
ring round the middle, and a green one about the middle of the feather- 
ing, and four of tlir same set have also a red ring in front of the green 
one. Three from UtUiavw in, belonging to different sets, have the shaft 
l)ainted red from the nuddle to the beginning of the feathering, and 
three red rings 2 inches from the nock. Seven belonging to these 
sets from the two iiortiicrn villages are unpainted. 

A set of two small arrows which belong with the l)oy's bow No. 
SOilOt [7.S(i] are peciUiai' in their nuirking. About oi inches of the 
ndddle of the shaft is painted red, there is a black ring round the middle, 
and a bla(;k spiral running the whole length of the feathering. 

The only decorative work in metal is to be seen in the pii)esand their 
accomi)anying i)icks and tire steel which have akeady been described. 

In addition to these illustrations of decorative art, we brought home 
a .series of seventy-nine objects wlii(di may be considered as purely 
works of art without reference to dec-oration. Some of the older objects 
in this series perhai)s also served the purpose of amulets or charms,' 
but a number of the new ones were made simi)ly as works of fancy for 
sale to us. These objects are all carvings of various materials, some- 
times very rude and sometimes very neatly linished, but in most cases 
even wlien rudely made highly characteristic of the object represented.^ 
Walrus ivory, usually from the tusks, but sometimes from the teeth, is 
the commonest material for these carvings. Thirty-six of the series 
are made of this material, which is very well suited for the purpose, 
being worked with tolerable ease, and capable of receiving a high finish. 
Soapstoue, from the ease with which it can be cut, is also rather a 
favorite material. Seventeen of these carvings are made of soapstone, 
in many cases evidently pieces of an old lamp or kettle. Other mineral 
substances ap]iear to lie rarely used. Three images, all made for sale 
and by the same hand, are of soft white gy])sum and one tiny image of 
a bear is rudely flaked out of gray flint. (There are in the collection a 
nuiid>er of rude images of whales, made by flaking irom flint, jasper, 
and glass, but as these were ascertained without doubt to be amulets, 
they will be described inider that head.) Eleven are made of wood, 
nine of bone, (me of antler, and one of the tooth of the polar bear. 
Twenty-three of tliese carvings re|ivesi'nt liuman beings, sometimes in- 
tentionally grciiesiiiir and caricatured; twenty-one, bowhead whales; 
louiteeu, jiolar bears; li\c, seals; three, walruses; one, a beluga; one, a 
lisii; and seven, fanciful monst(!rs. Four are ornanunited objects made 
for sale: not, strictly speaking, images. 

Six of the representations of the human face or figure are of wood, 

' (•,„ni>arb Nordcnskiol.l. V.-p,. vol. 2, p. 120 and liiiik. Tales, etc., p. 52. 
^^^(•oiiipar.! li.-.ss.-l.,. Naturalist, vi.l. IK, N„. ;), ,.. «K0, wl,,-,-,, l„^ speaks of finding atnong tlie peopleof 
"1'." '^'"-^ earvni;;s n'pii'si-nliti;^ ;iiiimal.s ami liiini;iii Ii^ure,s " exeeediugly characteristic." 



[MACKS. 



a!!,", 



' I,-- 



and with one exr("i)ti(iu were all ficshlv hkkIc lor 

seuts the only :inti(iu.. spccinicn of ihis kind (N,,. :.(;i!)(; |(;.V.|). This 
was found aiuontj- the drhiis in onr ol' tlic oM niincil iiouscs in Utki 
avwin by Lieut. Kay, and is v.'iy old, hlai-kiaicd. ami dirty. The carv- 
ing was evidently (h)ne wirh a bhmt iustiunicnt. proliahiy a stone tool. 
This specimen, which was perhai)s the head of a doll, is 7-1 inches in 
total leiijith, with a head ;i-4 inclies lono-. We saw no similar object ot 
modern eonstruetion. 

Fiff.s. 3SS„ and ;!S.s/, (Nos. SiiTi'd |n<tL'] and S!)?-: [ii;i;!|. from Ttki- 
avwii'i) are a pair of rather rou^hh wliifthd Ininian li.:;iires. a man 
and woman, respectively, botli without < loth, s ,, \cept that the wom 
has a black lead uuirk round the ( dt ol , 





Fio. :is--\ini lit iiMJu Imiiiiii 111 111 Fio. .ISS.— Woodt-n ti^nin'S. 

the boots) Tilt J wen mid. l.n- sal.', an.l an- perhaps uurtnishe.l 
The man (\(. vtTJi, |llMj|ii. II inch.'s louy an.l t.derably w.. 
portioned, i \( . i)t dx.nt tlu 1. .'t. which are very clumsily ma.le. 
eyes and month u< iiuis.-l uid th.' hair .-ohnvd with bla.k-l.'ad. 
woman (No V>7-'7 |ir>!|) i-, i v.'iy similar ti-iiiv, lint only '.1-2 
long. Sh. li IS i>i<.min. nt bi. ists. au.l h.T h-s aiv short.a- in p 
tion thin th. mln-^ 

No. V»7_'"> |lls >| Horn I tki ivwih, is a .■lumsy ima.u'.> of a man. i 
whitthd out ot I II It li H.l uo.xl sti.'k, 7j inch.'s loni;-. The lm.1 
legs aie h)lig th. 1 itt. i -"in. what stiaddlinu. with clumsy l.^et. 
outsti etched aims u. \.i\ -hoit and stumpy. It has li.'.-ii paiiii 



(h.lls. 

11 pro- 
The 
The 



ml.-ly 

The 



3!I4 



l>i)iNT HAKROW KSKIMO 



. ^jmrn^. 



\z 



Thin (MKil (.r ivd uvUrv, Mul the Ic-s and \Wt have a coal of 
,\.T llii-. Tlir hair also is riiaik.'d out witii l.lack lead, and a 
I,, wliih' head is fastcnrd with a yv^ to tlic iniddh- of tin- 
is inia.ur was made for Ihr maiki-t. 

a |-'(l.!|. from Ttkiavw in, is of a pair of vit.v rude ima^(\s, 

ohdy for tlic niarkct. Macii is s inches lonfi', and is merely 

an oblong piece of 

\ A iM ' t / hoard, Hat aud rough 

on the hack, roughly 

h<\.]. (1 tiom th( 

nnddh to enh snle 

in fiont On. . nd is 

J sunnoiLnt<<l 1.\ a 

latliei ludely cai\ed 

= human head, ^\lth the 

ItatuH s ni lelief and 
th( ejes and mouth 
iui 1 sed The eye- 
biows .nemaiked out 
with Iduk lead, and 
tin 1. IS iloiuitudinal 
hn. ofhlukh iddowii 
^ till middle ot the 

iiont 
Fig. 3b9 (No. 89724 

llo iS4_( ,Mn„ 1,1 lEskum.mm |-11J3] hOlU NuWUk) IS 

lli< Ineot I in.ih rskimo, t J nidus long, (aived out of aflat piece 
ol soirii ( omit ions wood w( itiuitd to a dark, reddish blown. The 
lihi.ts 111 II jnt SI nil d 1)\ two sinill.ied glass beads with white cen 

Ids, lastditd ( Ihi piopd jiositioii with 

wooden pegs 'J hi n i- i ili i p ,ioo\ i iioiiiidtli( 
tdu( ol tht iMi' iiilo «lii, h IS I 1st. mil 1 stiip 
ol \illowish wollskiii uilh loiu Ini to II pi. sent 

Ih. (11111111111!, llOlllldtlH hood ot till 111 kit This 

will . Miiitiil It IS 1,1, 11 u t. iistii i:skimo 

I HI lll.l would piss lol 1 ].Oltl lit ol \p.lld.\ lO, 

1 Will known \oiing I si mio whow is implo\id 
In I 1. HI l;i\ IS 1 guiili mil Ininl.i 

Wi .olliiti.l oiilv Iwo soipsi,,ni .anm^s 
i.pi.s. nliiu 111(11, both ot whiih weie iiewh 
Miaih On. i,[ tli.s, I 1^ 5'I0 i\o S'r,(,<) (]0'|-)| 

li.ini Niiwiik), IS I ^lot.scpu I g. _") in.lies n t in.s , i "- 

loiiu, loughh ( ii\..l liom I Hit pi.te ol 111 ol.l '"" "'"'"' 
laiiipoi p.)t This IS alinosi e\a. Il\ Ih. toiiii in whuh the kskim.), 
espuialli the (.liikh.n, usii.illj .h.iw a man. '1 he \m itei\ p<»tratt 




& 



^ 



"'•""^-''l IMACKS. IV.)'} 

lias liwii drawn in vciy iiiucli tlu' same sliapc 'I'lic rcaliiri's arc very 
rudely indicated, and a lon.u inojectin- task u\^ l.oni> is inseited al 

eacli cdnier of the, utii and -Ined in with reliise oil. This 

i\ii\uv is |.i-ol.al.ly nieanl to represent. II man uilli I nsUs," l.elore 

referml to. who li-nres in several ol' I he le,-endaiy Ira-nients u hieh 
we olitained. 

No. SOnfiS [1108], from rtkiavwin. probably represents the same hein"-. 
It is a mask of soa])stoiie, a piece of an old lamp. L'-s inches lon^. with 
very characteristic features in low relief, ami a i)air 
of sharp, projecting, decur\cd tnsks. ahont 1 inch 
long, which appear to be made of the vibrissa^ of 
the walrus. The back of the mask is roughly hoi 
lowed out. No. S'.l.")75 [1()14|, from Xnwnk. is a 
cbunsy and carelessly made image of a man. ;>•! 
inches I.nig. whittled oat of a flat, ron.^h i^iece of 
soft, white gypsum. The arms are short and cliun- 
i^y and the legs straddling, and there is a large elliji 
tical hole through the middle of the body, 'fhe 
features arc indicated only by digging little ca \ it ies 
for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. This and two 
other images of the same nuiterial, a bear e(pially 
rude, and a very well carved and characteristic be 
luga, were made by the ingenious young native, 
Yoksa, i>reviously mentioned. 

The best bone figure of a man is shown in Fig.aill 
(No. 8!)353 [1025], from Nuwfik), also newly made. 
This is an image. 5 inches long, of the giant " Kikii- 
niigo." pieviously inentioiH'd.and is a very excellent 
l,ie<-e of workma'nship. The material is rather vas- 
eular compact bone. On the head is a conical 
dancingcap. M indies I, i-h, made .ild.'eiskin. with 

the tlesh si.i It. and c r..l w ith r.'d oeher. with " ",', " ' "' 

a tuft ofwoif hairs. ;; inches Ion-, prof rnding IVom 

the apex. A round t he middle of t he cap is a narrow sn i)) ol lla vim 
material fiinged on the low er edge with lilieen Hat. n ii i.iw pnid ml 
of ivorv. made to n-preseni monnrain-shee], t.^el h. To tin bul ol tin 
strip is fastened a half ilow ny leather neai ly t incla'S hau \ -h mh 
w.ioden slick is Stuck into the strip behind, so that Ih. lip i' h h. 
just above the apex of the cap. To a nolch in the end ol tin- i- Iml 
bit of dressed deerskin, 1 1 in.'hes long, <a,t into three strips. 

Fig.:5'.)2 (N,...S'.l.;i.Slll-.'7|. trom rtkiavwih) is an image neatlycarve 
from whale's bone, whi.-h may have ben meant for an anmlel. ,n- po: 
siblv tlie handle of a drill cord, as it is not new. and has two obh.pi 
In.les in Ihe middh' of ihe liack. wiiich meet s,, as lo loiin a lon-llndin; 
Hiannel Ibr a string. The eyes, month, an.l labn^t holes are in.-ised an 
filled with black dirt. The total length is ;!•:! im-ln-s. 




Jy 



39G 


Till', I'OIXT HARKOW KSKIMO. 


1 1- 1 


\ Mil |1-T-| tn>iii 1 tl 1 iwMiDis i \in 


q 


|in ,11 iImI witli oil lull s(i ipul Miiootli 
II 1 Miidi. sldiu llH iiH.ntli mdeyes 
iH nil [•^(•l 111(1 111 1(1 (ii((l iiid the iKis 


3r. \ 


tills siniph l.oH.l out 

liu i\(n\ ( inm^s lepitsentinfe lui 
HUM luiiMs lit ill ()t 1 itlui ludt woilv 
inmsliip No ^'1 - |n'»M ri^ .')4 


' A 


tiolil Nliwul is 1 told llih ^ood luuit 


ix 


nidus loiu ol 1 sittiiu 111 111 liol'l 

111^ 11|. Ins ll lll(K li( loK Ills i l((- lllls 




M \.llo« 11 U. 111(1 <'ll No 

" " , s ( «1 I Ids )' lioiii NinMii Is I siiiul 11 

il„ iiiMs II 111. M(l(s I ,ii_lil\ . m.d lioiii (oiisi ^^ il 

Ills INOIN III! <N(s 111(1 lllolllli IM lll(ls((1 Hid 

llll<d \Mlll llllv (oioud (lilt ll^ .'I, (\(, sOUM 

|<)Mil tioin NuwiilO IS 111 old nil i^( inidi of \(llo\\ 
Wilms i\oi\ md (losih lesdiihliii^ (Ik boiu iiii u( 
(No Vl.ls, [11_'7|) ihi i(h ti^iiud, hut uith the ll uids 
1)\ till skUs It isJTiikIks Ioii^ iiid lias i stiiiu ' 
nit 111 s lon^ titd into tilt I h nnid 111 till bilk , , 

Nos s'lUt) iiid h'tUT |9<t(>] lioui NiuMilv, lie a pin i 

(if little 111(11 stnidiii^ eieit about J iiidies lii^li, 
rather roughly carved, of slightly yellow walrus ivory. Both have 
large, clumsy feet and legs, and the eyes, nostrils, and mouth incised 
_ and filled in as usual wth dark colored 

dirt. The arms are in high relief. No. 
Sit.Mi; [OilO/^] has his hands clasped in 
front of him, while No. 80347 [990a,] has 
llicni chisiicd bdiiiid his back. The legs 
oltlic lalter arc excavated on the inside 
as if to tit it upon the end of some object. 
It is more probable, however, that this 
image was carved from the foreshatf of 
a seal dart, and that the excavation is 
iiicrdy the slot ii) the end of the latter, 
'fhesc two images are evidently modern, „ 

„ , , •' ^ ^^ ' Fig. 395.— Hu- 

liiit do not appear freshly made. No. man figure 
s'.i.M.I \V1T^\ from Utkiavwm is a very carved from 
rude, image, -■(> inches long, having a " . • 

"" very small licail and no arms. It is somewhat dis- 
coIoiimI walnis ivory and ipiite dirty, and though evi- 

erii, I'idiii the ap|pearaiice of the ivory, does not appear to 




('.\i;viN(;s. 



n!l7 



>,H ll( 



lUsI III. Mil 




In fu^lih III lilt lliis ii^iM, I-, , \, II 111,1, 1 III ,|,.| 
Sihein tuui(<l 1)\ Noid, iiski<il,l ' 

The iKst ill oui liu (unit s ii.iMi I iiiiii I> iiiDU 

ait l)ufli 111 \\,)ilviii iii-^lii]) 111(1 (1, si^ 
cm not ,<piiiiMii witli (li, ,lt<,uit 
H_iii< s 111 (li, mil--, inn tiiiiii rlu 
mou Miiiflic'iii puts ol Al isk I 
lli( foui loiinimiifj i\oi\ t iiMiu-- ,' 
repute nt flic liinii in fad ilon, 
2\() V)U2 ['(Vtl 1 i„ {<»(. fimii 
>iinMik is itlii<lvpu(( of \\ iluis 
l\()ry '> ^> ni( Ik ^ lon_ ind 1 (> 
^\l(le, I II \< cl mil lln, , Inmi in 

fines, I 111 III III rh Iill, m,l i uomin on . i, li -.|,|, pm,,! i,. 

gothei di flu si,l( ,.t tin Imd Dioiuli tin woiKm m-hip i niuh 
the fates dn diai ufdistu 1 In in in 1i is 1 ibuts iml i , ni \< iljin, ol 
feittoomj? it ( nil (oiiKi ot tin iiiontli iiuln itiii, tin sn, , , s^jnl ^ h ||, 
man, iiid flu woniiii flu iisn il t ill poiiu on l In , Inn lln ,\,s \u>^ 
trih, "'"iitlis, 1 ihitts, mil t ittooiiu 11' in. 1-, ,1 111. M I I. k. in. I i>, ii-.inl 
This spctinun tli(iuj,ii ip])iuiitl\ iiio.hiii do. s n.it s. , m ti, s|i , inm^li 
t.)hi\i hniiniKk t.)i sil( rill s(ll(i ( ilkd it i in in unl Ins tw.i 
•VM\«s'' \Mtlmnt ^i\ 111^ till 111 a)i\ n uiu s It in i\ Ix intiinUd is i jioi 
trait of soint (clebi Ued wlnleinm 

Fiji V)7 is otu of i p in of Miv nidc I k.s (No >(.»_') | )J, Ikhii 1 t 

kiiWMin U nidus loiij, \\hi(li\\u( in iik toi s ilt It is simph i w r! 

Ills to.ifh ( lit oil sijii lit on tlu Liids md on oik skU ind(]\ . ii\(d ml. 

1 1 K < with tin i\ts 111, I nioutli iniisid iinl lill*,! in 

> with diik .0I..1..I <liil lu .'l^ No s«),f{ |11J1| tioin 

Niiwiik Is 1 il II pi... .1 i\oi\ I lilt ol in old snow 

^ r ' 



L 



111. npp. 1 

lid, l.( 11 s 

. Ill I n.>s||,U in, iM.l mil l>li<k(n.d 

I I III In i.K uilh 1 t IK oil c nil 

..hiN. lln n -. . iiid blows in low 
s n.. stills III. I inonlhs in. |s,<| m.l 
1 .ni.s II. Il II \Mlli lln I isl lllK. 

IS IU|,.|. \l 111 .11.1 IS I III. I. lu 

h. idllU tou IkI 111. II, hi Wllh Ih. . IIS 

ith i.m,lih 111. is(<l m.l I.I 1.1 1 iiKl 

h i,i,iM,l iinl binhin.l Im.s ,ni tli. ..1. 
.,N.i,,| uilli 111.1. I\ in. is,. I m.l 1.1 n I I 



,1 m.l ,, \, I,. I Willi iinisol lull 
' ,,1_, I. , iiM,l ml.. Ii\. h. I. Is I 11- 
' In nl Willi III. .\.s 

I-. llsll ll III. II I. .Ill 

I si, I, I In hour I I. . 
Hint m.l III. 
bin k.iK.l 111. 
\ul u"in ,' '• irill.siinll. It 
l^^,ll.'.t 11 Ml. ol I b. II 11 

in hIk i til. . \i s nnl iii..iitl 

til. 1, ,s llnll, 1I..I l.N 
V t I. .11. 1.1. . 

lines. 

On tiu' ..bvorsc tli.'iv is a sin-lc v.Tti.'al lino b..] w.m.ii .'ni'li pair 
heads, liel.iw the bear's head is a bear hea.lini; towar.l tln> n.i;l 



'Vega, vol. 






3!lS 



;r I'.AI.'liOW ESKIM( 



iiiidcr I lie tiist limiiaii licail, an umiak with four iiicii; under the secoud, 
a'-kilh-i" (Orca) licadin.ii' Inward tiic ii,i;'ht; nn<l('r the third, two of 
the usual (•(invcntiiinali/.cd wlialcs" tails susptMnled from a cross-line; 
and under the last, a ■• killer" witli very lar.i;v -Hukes" headin.n' toward 
the left. 




On the reveisc 

and uu.ler the 1h 
is jierforated wi 



below the bear, a bear heading' toward the 
:nan heads a whale's tail with the lluk.^s up, 
L bear heading toward the right. Tliis end 
round liole, into which is knotted a bit ot 
hini;. the other end of which is tied round 
)wliead whales, each about 1 inch long and 
■ ot ix or\ , head to head. They are rather 
spiracles incised and blackened. This ob- 
but perhaiis commemorates the exploits of 
]iur(lias(d along with other objects and its 



^ 



% 



\^ 



n profile, sh. 
le, but No.S 
this, thoudi 



■ar is No. S!).->(l(l [ll.'.-.2], Fig. .•{{Ml, 
from rtkiavwin, which is 
quite characteristic. It 
~%^ rfpicsciitsthebearstand- 
j ing and was cai'ved out of 
f soft, gray soitpstoiu^ with 
a knife, and finislied off 
smoothly with a file. It 
is 4 inches long. No. 
80571 fllO?/], from Nu- 
wuk, is a very rude fiat 
soapstone bear, l-'.t in- 
fore and one hind leg. It was 
the same village, which is almost 
No. St».574 [1027], from Nu\TOk, 
e referred to, which is very like 



Mi"i.nrii I CAKVIXGS ANIMALS. 

the |.ic.-f(lin,u- two s|)..iMiiiciis. It is •.'•:. ill. -lies li.iiu 
tail and lai-v cliiiusy 1,-s. 

No. S'.I.-.TS |l(l.-,l|, Fi- KM), rr.iiii 1-rkiavuiii. is a lliiii 
a iiolar hear, mail.- l..v llakiii^ IVoiii dark 
liin.ii-, and tlic tail is disproiMut ioiialcly 

TIh' s|irciiiirii dors not a|i|icar Id lie iicw.aiiil 'H~7^r ■:"";'' 
was iMTliajis iiitiMidcd I.,.- an aiiinlct. like tlic U :.j.f <!■ 
dint wlialfs already iiinitiuncd. ¥\^^si: 

The only l>onc li-iiic ola h.^ar in tli.^collcc idT^ V 
tion. No. S!»:j3.j [iL'Tr.j, Via. -Idla. tVoni Utkiav \J 
win. is very cnidc. It lias a very long, slim body ''"■ '"" '■'■" "■''-'' '■'"'" "'""■ 
and neck, ami sliort. slender Ie<;s. The moiitli. eyes, and nostrils are 
incised and are lilackened as usual. Tlie .•arvin- is rudely done. l>iit 
til.' siiecinieii. which was made for sale, has lieeu scraped siiio.,t li. It is 
5..-. im-hes hui-. and made of whale's hone, soaked in od to make il 



H' 



bear's li.'ad. with (he ears, nostrils, outline of the mouth, and the 
vibrissa' incised and bla.-keued. Sky blue -lass beads are iidaid h.r 
the eyes and bits of tooth Ibr the canine liisks. On the throat is a 

'black. Mied. Th.^'carvinu- is fivshly .hui.', but s.iiled. t.> mak.^ it lo.d. 
oM. 

Thetliiv.' n.'wiv mad.- iv..iy b.-ars ai.' all iv]Hrseiit.Ml staiKlmji' and 
are.|uil.Mdiara.-t.Tisti.'. .Vll ha v tluM^ys. nostrils, ami iiKUith iii.-ised 
anil bla.-k.Mi.'.l. I'^iu. WJ<i (No. si);;:;7 |IL'71|, from Utkiavwiu) is the 
i,..st inVx...-uli.ui. U is ma.lc of ^^\n^,^ iv.iry ami is .■■.•;i in.-h.vs lon.o-. 
N... .-.(-..-.LM. |!»-_'l. fr.uii Nuwiik. is a small b..ar. 1-T in.-h.-s Ion- la.t .|i.it.' 

has be.-n brok.-n .ilf .-his,- to tin- body and d.iwcle.l on with a w. 



,...-. -V 



,m Xiiwuk (No. S9S41 [Uyi'J) is still m<jrc 



lely earv.'.l, luii .dosely ivs.-mbles the iirecediiijj 



40(1 



)INT BAKUDW KSlvIMO. 



A lai-.T raiviii-, nllicr n.u.^hly cxrcut.'d (X... S'.i;!;;s | Kills], from 

'.."..^''visr i'u his Mioi.'th. Thr\vhal.' is a, scparat,. pircr. 1,H,1 in l.y ji 

^. |,.|| i,,.o- iliivcii llin>it,i;li the boar's lower jaw. Tliis specimen Is 

lew l\- math' lioiii rallier coarse walrus ivory. 

Fii;. 4(ii'/< : Xo. Sll.'Ud |!l.->;!], tVoiii ITtkiiivwifi) is a very ancient ivory 
iiiai;(^ of a hear. -Il inclies lon^'. wjiicli was evidently intended for an 
imulet, as ilicre is a stoiir lu-;- on the belly, into which are bored two 
il)li(|ue liolcs. -o as to iriaki' a longitudinal channel for a .string'. Into 
his is kniilliil a sloiil c(ii<l of hioscly twisted sinew. The exeeutiimof 
he imauv is paiticiilarl\ .^ood, Imt the design is very rude. The .speci- 
II, Ml is so ancient tiial I lie ivory of wliieii it is made has become almo.st 
.lack. 

Xo. .")i;52S(( [.".CKfl from ITtkiavwin is a walrus tooth, l-fi imdies long, 
•arved into the siiaiie of a bear's head. Both design and execution are 
very rude. Light blue glass 
beads are inlaid for the eye.s, 
and the nostrils and outline 
of the mouth are incised and 
lllled in with black dirt. It 
was made for sale. A still 
more rude carving, also made 
for sale, is No. 56528, from 
ITtkiavwiii, which is an old 
and weathered canine tooth of 
tlie i»ilar bear, with the point 
freshly whittled so as to look 
something like a bear's liead. 
Two sky-blue glass beads are 
inlaid to repr<>seiit the eyes 
and one for the nose, and the 

nth is iiK-ised and blackened. 

. Ia\(iiilc subject for representation. 
rsiTibed shows that it occurs very 
iiied only three images of this ani- 
oiy, all small and xcry rude, both 
all newly made. The best image 
■ ISt] from rtkiavwin). This is 2-3 
alrus ivory. The head is ratlier 
s to a broken point. A bit of 
t the right is merely represented 




1 



■s nol 
ollcc; 
ralio 


a]ipearto 
lion ahead 
11. and wc 


Stolll 

.ecilti 

. Id.;, 


■ and two 
ion. They 
1 (Xo, s!i;;;;i 



wood :s mlaid Ibr the Icfl 
by a hole. 

Fig. Ki:!/<(Xo.S!):!:;i |i(i(;7 
eyes, nostrils, and mouth a 

snout, also tilled in with bl 



rtkiavwin) isexcee<lingly rude. The 
s.'dand blackened as usual, and the 
■nted by rather lai-ge round pits on the 
It. It is 2-!) inches long, and appears 



IMA I.: 



101 



.l<l. \\u 



to have been dipped in 

images bear a stroiii; ic 

semblance to the ludi' 

carvings of walruses 

from Siberia flgnred by 

Nordenskiold.' No. 

8!)570 [1271] from J^n 

wiik is of soapstone, L' 

inches long, with tusks 

rudely carved froiii wal 

rns ivory. The lu'ad is 

but nmghly indicated. 

whilethebodyisslia|>e(| 

like a slug, and is biiid 

at the pointed end to 

represent the hind lliji ^"^ 

pers. The eyes and nos O 

I ., ■'..... Fl.J.4oa.-K,ukuor.v)ig,„« ..!„., I,,.,. 

trds are roughly inci.sed. 

The seal, on the other hand, is a favorite object for artistic rc]>reseu- 
tation. It is seen often, as already described, as a decoration on vari- 
ous implements, especially the drag lines, generally in a very charac- 
teristic shape, and the five seal images in the collection are excellent in 
design and execution. Almost all are decidedly superior to those from 




> 



ritlckuj, figured by Nordenskiiild.' All are newly made except No. 
89737 [857rt]. Fig. -iOia, from Utkiavwln, which is -1-2 inches long, and 
made of spruce, very old, weathered, and discolored with dirt and grease. 
It is nicely carved and scraped smooth, and is very good in its general 
proportions, though the details are not represented as in the other 
images. 



9 ETH- 



-26 



I Vega, vol. 2, p. 142. 



402 TIIK POINT BARKOW ESKIMO. 

Till" \n-< ti-'ure (Xo. 8!);5.;o [OiHI] figured in the Point Barrow Rept. 
Ftlmoi PI v?Fif;.(!. IVom Utkiavwin) is carved from walrus ivory and 
is t-.-i inches long. It ie|)iescnts a male rough seal, and is exceedingly 
•u-enrate and liiglilv linishrd. The lower jaw is perforated and a bit of 
sinew thread tie'il in to ivpicseut the drag line. Small red glass beads 
with white centers arc inlaid for the eyes. The other three are all of 
bone and represent dead male seals stretched on their l>acks with the 
drag line in their, jaw as they are dragged home. 

N\). r)(i.')79 [T.")], Fig. 4(»4/*, from Utkiavwin, is 5-7 inches long, and 
vei-y smoothly carved from walrus .jaw bone, with round bits of wood 
inlaid for the eyes. The proportions are excellent, but the details are 
not strongly brought out. This specimen is a little older than the rest, 
anil mayliave been an amulet for good luck in seal catching. The 
other two are of compact white bone. j)crhaps that of the reindeer. 

No. siCWl [114.?|, from Utkiavwin, is ^-i inches long, and has the 
breast and back flattened and the flippers in high relief. The anus, 

genital opening, and eyes 
;iic incised, the latter two 
filled in, as usual, with 
black dirt. The drag line 
is of sinew braid and has 
an ivory cylinder slipped 
over it. 

No. 8!);52S [11(17], from 
Utkiavwin, is the poorest 
in design. It is 5-G inches 
long and has the neck bent 
;.-\vi,iuwi.ai,-.a,v,,ifr..m^s|.M,m. "P ^is 11 dragging. The 

back of a freshly caught 
\ays siiMicwhal tlnrtcneil by dragging it over the ice, and 
ill- is \ cry iiiiicli cxaggci:itcd in this carving by the natural 
lie hiiiic. The fore flijipcrs are in high relief, with three 
h Hipper, colored round the edge with red ocher. The tips 
d flii)i)ers are joined together, and each has only two toes. 
lipiiital oiiening, and the spots on the back and belly are iudi- 
calcil hy slialiow Knind i)its colored with red ocher. The drag line is 
a doiilih- hit lit' siiiiw liiaid, which has on it two ivory cylinders, oiie 
urnaTiiciitcil witli an incised pattern. 

We found but a singl(> flgure of the beluga, which is such a favoiite 
subject fur Ivskimo artists farther south. This is the gypsum carving 
already mentioned (No. .S!l.-)73 [1015J, Fig. H)~>, from Nuwftk). It is .3-5 
inches long and is very chai-aeteristic, though rather short in proportion 
to its girth. It was neatly carved with a knife. 

The ••how-lieaiU' whale (liala-na niysticetus), is a very favorite sub- 
ject, appearing often as a decoration and represented by 21 carvings. 
Three of these arc of wood, very much resembling in design and exe- 
cution the harpoon boxes already described. They are all very old, and 




se;: 


d is 


alu 


tlii 


s Ha 


ttcii 


sh: 


ipc 


of tl 


tO( 


■s to 


' eacl 


of 




him 


Til 


C f\ 


•es, -: 



'AKVIXG 



403 



l)prliai>s were cliaiius tn he rnriicd 
wlialiii-. No. S!i7;;t; [s.-.T/yj, Fi-. I 
best i>r(i|)(iitioiie(l (iftlicsc li-mes. 
art' tlic tliikes , which aic lirnkcm. 



ulily (iHails iv|,n-s,.ntc,l 
•is..,l spirach's. It is.Vl 
I. lies h.ii- and made of 
l>incc(M- hciiilo.-U. stained 
Ininst hlark l.y .iirt. 

n\ix stiiiii; of sinew liiaid 
~ tied nmnd tli.' -sniall." 



II 7:'..". |l(i;i(i| Iron 
,ih,isalsoaiathri 
-porti.med li.^ure 



the tiniies, one of wliieli is broken. An an.uular ])il of iron pyrites is 
inlaid to represent the left eye, and a similar piece appears to iia\c l)eeii 
lost from the riuht eye. The aims is represented by a lisiit blue ulass 
bead inlaid in the belly. It is s-S inciies lonj;- and made of soft wood, 
probably cottouwood. weathered an<l stained to a daik brown. It is 
very old and mucli <-hiiipcd and cracked. Two small oblii|ue holes in 
the middle of the back make a trans\erse ehaunel for a strinj;. This 
specimen was said liy the man who sold it to have been dni; up amonu 
the rnins of one of the old himses in the villatie. 

tion to Its len;;th. and rather vmle in (b'si;:n. with a tlat belly, thoii-h 




for the 
tinke h 


asb 


|.'j„_ 


Ol' h 


of a wl 


.ale 


ha]is a 


littl 


rejtresf 


■nte( 


sera])e( 


1 ,sni 



lemloek and has weathered to a l.rown color. 
(No. 8!>5(il \Vjrh>,\ from Utkiavwin) represents the bes 
in the eoll(>ction. It is very well [.roportioued, thon 
le ehim.sy alxmt the flukes, with the external details c( 
d. It is 4-5 inches lonj;, neatly carved from soa 
looth and oiled. It was made for sale. There are li\ 
>.stone carvings of whales in the collection, but none 



ither 
j;.iod 



404 
as thi 



rilK TDINT BARHOW 



5KIM0. 



si-epta little 
1 is almost uti f 
i,.\v. I'i--. l(»s 
scntatioii of a v 



IV,,iu Niiwfik, (No. Sli.v;;? [itso]) 2 inches long, 
liiiiature of the i)i'e('('(liii,t;-. This sixM-imen is 
S!t.V.7 |1L'(>71 from rtkiav\\Tro is a rnde fat 
seen from above. It i^ .">-ii inches long aud 




roughly wliittU'd out of the hottom of an old stone pot. The flippers 

arel.iige and cluiuM . and the spiracles slightly incised. The specimen 

api)ears to he old, as does a similar one from Niiwuk (No. 89559 [1188«,]). 

No. 895."')S |li.'(i<!l from Ttkiavwlii, and No. 89572 from Nuwuk, both 

flat images, are carelessly made 

lor sale. The latter is simply 

a representation in soapstone 

of the conventional "whale's 

tail" with the " small" cut off 

t< I an angular point. No. 89325 

1 1100] from Utkiavwiii is a 

at belly, 4-1 inches long, freshly carved 

d in oil to make it look old. The eyes, 

iioutli arc iiK-ised and hlled in with dark 




>P 



dk 



None of the ivory carvings of whales have any special artistic merit. 
Fig. 409 (No. 89323 1 1024«] from Nuwuk) is the best of these. It is a 
little better in design and execution than the preceding, which it re- 
sembles considerably. It is the female of a pair of little whales made 
of old brown WMlrus ivory, which is much cracked. The male diflers 
from the female only in the shape of the external _^. _ g 

sexual organs, the luale having a little round pit ^mirMimrf^'"* ' " Ti 
and the temale a long sulcus. This, as well as the ficj. 4111. -ivmy image of 
eyes, spiracles, and outline of the mouth, is incised 
and filled in with dark colored dirt. The female is 3-1 inches long, the 
male (No. S9324 (1024/;]) 0-1 inch longer. These specimens appear to be 
fpiite ancient. 

I-lg. 410 (No. Sii;i2ti |1()S(;| fnim Nuwfik) is very long and slender— 
4-.'5 inches long and only 0-7 inch wide — with the belly perfectly flat, 




CARVINGS WH AI,i:s, l/lc • 

but otherwise a very good representation, ncali 
in particular are especially well done, 
and the flippers are in liigli relief. 
The eyes, the spiracles, and the out- 
line of the mouth are incised and the 
first blackened. The material is a 
rather poor quality of walrus ivory, 
about half "core.'" The specimen 
was made for sale. Xo. 8!).327 [991) 
from Nuwuk was also made for sale. 
It is a little whale 1-G inches long, 
rudely carved in walrus ivory. 

Fig. 411 (No. 5(J(Jlt) |«<!| from Ut- 
kiavwin) represents a pair of little 
whales, each carved from a walrus 
tooth, which probably served for '"' 

buttons or toggles of some sort, thcmgh 1 do not recoiled c\er seeing 

such objects in use. The belly of each is tlat and has in the middle a 

stout lug i)erforated with a transverse eye, and tliey are 

^^^T^^ tied together by a piece of thong about 14 inches long. 

^•IS^il^V They are quite well designed and executed, but rather 
,, ^.^^., _j,^^,_ , "stumpy" in outline, with the outUue of the mouth and 

stone image of the Spiracles iucised and blackened, and little round 

imaginary nni- l,jf j. „f (^o,,^], {^^\.^\^ foj. gyps, Jn the middle of the back 

of ea<'ii was inhiid a small blue glass bead, whicli still re- 
mains in oncof tlicm. Tlicy arc old and dirty and soincwliat chip])cd 
al)out the flukes. 

Fig. 412 (No. 89507 (904) from Nuwfik) reiuesents an imaginary 
quadrui)ed 2-5 in- 
ches long, with a 
shoit, thick body and 
legs, no neck, and a 
liunian head, with tiic 
eyes and mouth in- 
cised. It is roughly 
carved from light 
gray soapstone, 
g r o u n (1 p r e 1 1 y 
smooth. This figure 
is not new, and has 
J) r o V) a b 1 y C( )nnected 
with it some story whicli 
calk'd it an "old man." 
monster. 4-2 iuches l(mg. 




Fig. 413. 



ve did not succ( 
No. 89332 [994] 
arved in ivory. 



fill 



the tusks of a walrus, the body, tail, and fl 
arms. The hands, each of which lias foi 
object against the belly. It is not old. bi 



C'd in learning. 'I 

from Nuwfik, is ; 

a human head with 

a seal, with human 

s, clas]) some round 

)arentlv was not made 



It ha 

:)pers . 



4()(J 




I'oi- till' iiiaikc 


t. 


whctluT it w; 


i> - 


<• it'ctcd wit 

l'ij;.4i;5 X. 


li it, 

1. Sit 


Inn--, carved i 


in i 



liKOW ESKIMO, 
walrus II 



lioiiiv Of wli.Tlic 
I Xuwuk)isanotlu 



>iit we (lid not Icarii 

• tiicrc was any story 




■n small 



d nits, tilled wi 



)nstcr, 3-!) inches 
; licid with lars'i' canine teeth, 
and ii seal's body, tail, 
and hind flipi)ei's. 
, 1 The eyes, nostrils, 
<j uill slits, the outlines 
-/ of the tail, and the 
/ toes, of which there 
^'<-^J are six on each flip- 
per, are incised and 
blackened. A row of 
dark colored dirt runs nearly 



O '^ 



Fij;. 411 iN(>..s'.(;i;{!t |10!i!il tVom \nwi1k) is anewlv made ivory flsure. 

which is intercstinji- tVoni its res< irdilain e I le of the fabulous anini.ils 

which lijiurc in the (Ireenland h f;eii(K. It is 1 mk lies loiij; and lepie 
seuts a long-necked bear with ten Icn-^, an aiiiiii.il wliM h tlic inakei gave 
us to understand had once 
been seen at Point IJarrow. 
The resemblance of tins ani 
mal to the '• kiliojiak " or ■■ kilil- 
vak " of the (ireenland stories, 
wiiich is described as "an ani- 
mal with six or even ten feet"' 
is quite striking. 

Fig. 415 (No. S'JTS.', |1()S41 
from Xuwuk) is another rep 
le.scntation of the giant who 
holds a whale in e,a(!h hand. 
He was called in this instance 
•■Kaioasn," and not ''Kikanii- 
go.'' This image is carved 
from very old jiale brown wal- 
rus ivory, and is L'-.> inches 
high. A transverse imised 
line across each cheek from the wing of the nose, indicates the wliale- 
iiian's tattoo mark of the luisteni fashion. The image is ancient, but is 
mounted in a socket in the middle of a newly made wooden stand, 
which has a broad border of ivil odier ami a broad streak of the same 
paint along each diameter. 

Fig. 4Ui (No. 8!»;W(> |i;$(i9]) is a curious piece of carving, which Nika- 
wdaln .said he found in one of the ruined houses on the river Kulugrua. 




..—Ivory cai'Ting, 



MURnocn.] 



rARVIX( 



The carving is well cxci-utcd ami really seems to \>r ol.l.aliliin 

has evidently been retduchcd in a i^ood many places, li is made 

an irreynhuiy flattened hit (d reiiKh'er anller, .Ml imlies IdUi;-. Idael 

by the weather on the Hat sni laees. and icpieseids an animal w ill 

legs, which appear to lie 

(log's legs, and at each end 

what a]>i)ears to be a ilo<;\s 

head. One of the m i- 

smaller than theoth. i iml 

both have tlie cats in u 

liei; and th.- eyes, nost.d. 

and ontlines <d' tin month 

incised. 

Fig. 417 (No. r)(i-)J() |s-.| 
from Nuwfik) is ,i fant i 
fill object made soleh )oi 

the market. It consist's ot tin iinhh < n\(d la id ol -.omi i iini\o 
rons animal, made ot i\oi\, md _' (. iikIk^ Ion, titled to tin Inoid 
endof a. flat-pointed wood* n h indh, pi 111 I. d nd IIk h. id w is . dh.l 
a "dog", but it looks moK like .i lu.ii Small bits ol wood lu ml iid 
for the eyes, and tlie out liiK ot tht mouth is deeiih iiuised indcoloied 
with red ocher, ha\ing bitsof wlnteuoij mlaid to lepiestnt tin < mine 
teeth. The ears, nostiiN. \ibriss,i,aud hans on the mn//le iie in 
dicated by blackened im isioiis. Theieisau ornamented (ollii lonnd 





the neck, to which is jo 
the throat, and a soiii 
between the ears. 

One of the natives at Itkia vwin. in :\lay, ISS:-', conceived the fancy of 
smoothing ort' the tip of a walrus tusk into the shape of a pyramid, 
surmoniited by a little conical ca]) and oniamentiug it with incised 
figures, which he colored with red oeher. It appears to have been 
purely an individual fancy, as it has no utility, nor are such objects 
made by the Eskimo elsewhere, as far as I know. Having succeeded 
in tinding a sale for this object, either he or one of his 



(is, 1 d( 



40S 



POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



M i(l( luotlit 1 whidi \\ IS l)i(>iit,lit over for sale 
\\( siw HO othtis itt(i\\ lids 




Flo. 418.— EngTiived ivory : (a) ywvt- t-iij^ravfil with ligiireti ; (&) development of pattern. 

Kig. 418«. (pattern developed in Fig. 4186, No. 56530 [220J) represents 
tbe tirst of these. It is made of solid white walrus ivory. The work- 




i|> IS i|Miic nidc, ;ind tlir (MP has been broken oft' and neatly 
iteiHil on with a wooden dowel. The other, Fig. 419a, 419^* (No. 50529 
il|)i--<;5-Tinclieslong. 



CARVINCiS, ETC. 



400 



S!t741 [Klli;] from Ni 
■<s is oriiaiiUMited 1),\ 
I of the 



Fig. 420 (X 
long. Tlie ei 

with red ocher. Tlic sluift of 
human Lead ueatly caivfd from soa|istonc, fast 
suH'w braid, whicli passes through a, transxcrs 
round the crosspiece. No. 81)74:3 [I()!»ll. also f 
senddes the preceding, but is shglitly shorter 
and has a four-sided shaft. The liead, more 
over, whicli is made of bone, represents a man, 
as is shown by the little pits, which indicate the 
labrets. The cheeks and crown of tlie head are 
colored slightly red with red ocher. 

The ingenious Yoksa, so often mentioned. 
made the first image and brought it down for 
sale. All he could or would tell us about it 
was that it was " tuuii'ktiip kuni'a," "A kuui'a 
(jargon for woman) of soapstone." The suc- 
cessful sale of this first cross encouraged him 
to make the second, but we saw no others be- 
fore or after. Other natives who saw these 
object.s only laughed. The whole may be simply 
a fanciful doll, perhaps meant for a caricature, 
the .shaft representing the body, and the cross- 
piece the outstretched arms. The object is 
very suggestive of a crucifix, and there is a 
bare possibility that the maker may have seen 
something of the sort in the possession of some 
of tlie eastern natives who have been visited 
by a missidiiaiy of the Eoman Catholic Church 
(Fatli.'r I'etitot). 

Under the head of works of art may properly 
be included No. 89823 [1130], from Utkiavwiu. 
This is the skelet(m of the jaws of a polar bear, 
(lit i)tf just back of the nose, neatly sewed up 
in a ](iece of sealskin with the hair out, so as 
to leave uncovered only the tips of the .jaw- 
bones and the canine teeth. This specimen 
was put up by the same quick-witteil young- 
native after liis removal from Nuwuk to I'tki 
avwiii, evidently in imitation of the worlc of 
lu-eparing specimens of natural history, wliicli 
he had seen done at the station. For the same 
reason he dried and carefully preserved in a litth 

a block of w 1 and tied up with sinew a little 

(Cottiis iiuadrieornis), which he had caught at I 
[11451). 




.^10 TIIK roiXT HARROW ESKIMO. 

I ivuivt iiuK-li tlial we (lid not save, and bring home any of the pencil 
(lra\viui;s niadi' by tlicsf ])co])le. Tlie children especially were anxious 
I.I <>et leatl pencils, and made themselves rather a nuisance by covering 
Ilu^painted walls of the observatory with scrawls of ships and various 
(ithi^r (.bjects, perhajis rather more accurately done than they would 
have been by white <'hildreu of the same age. The style of the figures 
on t iic lumtiiig scores already described, however, is very like that of the 
pencil dra\vinj;s.' 

DOMESTIC LIPK. 

l/„, ■,■;,„;,.._ As far as we could learn, the marriage relati.m was en- 
Icivil iipiiii generally from reasons of interest or convenience, with very 
lit tic rcuard Ibi' affection, as we understand it, though there often ap- 
peared U> be a warm attachment between married people. A man de- 
sires lo obtain a wife who will perform her household duties well and 
faithlhllv, and will be at the same time an agreeable companion, while 
he often plans to marry into a rich or influential family. The woman, 
on the other hand, appears to desire a husband who is industrious and 
a u(M>d hunter. Tliere were, nevertheless, some indications that real 
lo\ e matches sometimes took place. Marriages are usually arranged by 
the parents of the contracting parties, sometimes when the principals 
are mere children. We knew of one case when a young man of about 
twenty-two ollered himself as the prospective husband of a girl of eight 
or ten, when she should reach a marriageable age. This practice of 
eliild betrothal seems to be practically universal among the Eskimo 
excrywhere.' 

Dr. Simjison, in describing the marriage customs at Point Barrow, 
says: 

'I'lii- usual rasp is. tliat as scion as tho yomi;; man desires a jiartuer aud is aide to 
siiiipoit one, his niollni MJrils a niil aciiiidin;; to lierjudgmeut or fancy, and invites 
lier to tlie hut, wlinr slir liisl tak.-s tlic> ]iart of ,a "kivgak" or servant, having all 
the eriokini; and otln r l,i(iliiii duties h, |ierf'orm during the d.ay, and returns to her 
honir al iii-lif. ir Ih r c.nduif junvcs satisCartury, she is further invited to lioc-onie 
a UHiul.er..ril.e laiiiil\.- 

We only knew tiiis to lie done on on.' ...•.■asion: and on the contrary 
Un.'u .if si'\.'ial .-as.'S where tli.' bii.l..,-i'oom be.'ame a. m.-mber <if the 
uil.'-s family. 

One youth, who hail had his lips pierced for the labrets, just previ- 
ously to our arrival, was, we soon learned, betrothed to a young girl 
at Nuwiik. This girl fre.|ueutly (;arae down from Nuwtlk and visited 
her lover's family, .staying several days at a time, but we could not 

I I ■oiiipure tlhsi. witli Nnr.l.-iiskiolcl'fl tij;nr.!3 of ■■Cliakch" drawinga, Vega, vol. 2. pp. 132, 133. The 

'C.iiiuKiv,' Cniatz, vol. 1, p. l;,:\ (.liTiiilaiiil) ; Kumlien, Contributions, p. 164 (Cumberland Gulf) ; Hall, 
Arclii- Ki-,si-iircla-». p. 507 (ISmIIul Lauil): Tarry, 2ii(l Voyage, p. 528 (Fury and Hecla Straits) ; Seliwatka, 
S,i,.nr,-. vol. 4, No. 98, p. .-,44 (Kiiu; Williaia's Land); Gilder, Schwatka'.i So.ircli, p, 250 (Hud.^on's 
r'.^iy) ; KranUlin. First Kx|i.. vol. 2, p. 41 (Clii-strrtii-lil hili't) ; Hooper, Tents, etc., p. 209 (Plover l!ay) ; 



MLuainni.] MAKRIACJK,: 411 

discover that .slio was treated as a sei'vaiit. Slie went willi tlieiii to 
the spriug deer hunt, but we wcie (lis|iucll>- .uiNcu tn undnstaiHl that 
the young couple wouhl nut i)e maiiied till alter the return Ironi this 
hunt, and that no intcremirse would take \>\\ur helweiai Iheni l)eliii-e 
that time. When the season came loi' eatrliin- iviudeer lawns, the 
couple started oft' together. wiMi sled and dogs and eanip ei|uipa.ue in 
pursuit of them, and always afterwards were eonsideicd as irnin and 
wife. 

we had m) opportunity for learning what reremony. il'any, occurred at 
the time. Siuue of the party, howevei', who weid over to make a visit 
at IJtkiavwih one evening, found the h()ns(^ full of p(M)ple, who were 
singing ami dancing, and were told that this was to eelehratc the mar 
riage of the daughter of the house. Marriage ceremonies appear to 
be rare auioug the Kskinio. A pretended abduction, with the consent 
of the parents, is spoken of by Bessels at Smith Sound' and Kgede in 
(ireeuland (p. 14L'). and Knndien was inroiined that certain eeremoni.'s 
weresonn-rinies i)rarticcd at Cnmberlan.l (lulf- Klscwluae 1 have not 
been able to tiinl any refereuec to the suliject. A man usually selects a 
wife of about his own age. but reasons of interest sumetinies leail to a 
great disparity of age between the two. I do not recollect any case 
where an old nmn had a wife very much younger than himself, but we 
knew of several uhmi who had married widows or divorced w.nuen old 
enough to be their mothers,- aiul in (uu' lemarkalde case the bride was 
a girl of sixteen or seventeen, and the husband a lad ap|>arently not 
over thirteen, who could barely have reached the age of puberty. 

This couple were married late in the winter of 18S2-'83, and inunedi- 
ately started oft" to the rivers, deer hunting, where the young husband 
was very successful. This union, however, aiipeared to have been dis- 
soUed in the summer, as I l)elieve the girl was living with another and 
ohier man when we left tlie station. In this case, the husband came 
to live with the wife's family. 

As is the ease with most l-jskimo, most of the men cont<Mit them- 
selves with (UK' wife, though a few of the wealthy men have two each. 
I do not recollect over half a dozen men in the two villages who had 
more than .me wife eadi. and mir of these dismissed his youngvr wife 
during our stay. W.' never heard of a cas<- of more than two wives. 
As well as we could Jinlge, the marriage bond was regarded simi>ly as 
a <-ontraet- entered into by the agreement of the contracting |>arties 
and, without any formal eerenuwy of divorce, easily dissolved in the 
same way, on account of iu.'ompatibility of temper, or even on a.-count 
of temporary disagreements. 

We knew of one -u- two cases where wi\-es left their husbiuuls^i 

' Natur.iti.st, vol. IS, \>t. '.i. ]i. sTT 



41: 



HARROW ESKIMO. 



accimiit of ill ncatiMciit. (hw of these cases resulted in a permaaent 
separation, each of tiie couple finally marryiug again, though the hus- 
band for a long time tiied his l)est to get his wife to come back to him. 
In another case, where the wife after receivlug a beating ran away to 
Xuwuk. and, as we were told, married another man, her first husband 
followed her in a day or two and either by violence or persuasion made 
her come back with him. They afterwards appeared to live together 
on perfectly good terms. 

On the other hand, we know of several cases where men discarded 
wives who were unsatisfactory or made themselves (lisagiecal)le. I-'or 
instance', the younger Tunazu, when we first made liis ai(iuaiiitance, was 
married to a widow very much his senior, who seemed to have a disa- 
greeable and querulous temper, so that we were not surprised to hear 
in the spring of 1882 that they were separated and Tunazu married to 
a young girl. Ilis second matrimonial venture was no more successful 
tliaii his first, for his young wife proved to be a great talker. As he 
told us: "She talked all the time, so that he could not eat and could 
not sleep." So he discarded her, and when we left the station he had 
been for some time married to another old widow. 

1 11 the case above mentioned, where the man with two wives discard- 
ed the younger of them, the reason he assigned was that she was lazy, 
would not make her own clothes, and was disobedient to the older wife, 
to whom he was much attached. As he said, Kakaguua (the older wife) 
told her, "(jive me a drink of water," and she said, "No!" so Kaka- 
guna said, "Go!" and she went. He did not show any particular cou- 
cern about it. 

Dr. Simpson says, "A great many changes take jilace before a per- 
manent choice is made;" and again, "A union once apparently settled 
between parties grown up is rarely dissolved."' And this agrees with our 
experience. The same appears to have been the case in Greenland, 
(h-antz- says, "Such quarrels and separations only happen between 
peo|)le in their younger years, who have married without due fore- 
1 bought. The older they grow, the more they love one another." 

I'lasy and unceremonious divorce appears to be the usual custom 
among Eskimo generally, and the divorced parties are always free to 
marry again.' The only writer who mentions any ceremony of divorce 
is Hessels, who witnessed such among the so-called "Arctic Highland- 
ers" of Smith Sound (Naturalist, vol. 18, pt. 9, p. 877). Dr. Simp- 



'0|,. ,il., 1,. 2,-.3. 



I ii. I I h.'v do not suit their humors, or else if 
I 1 ml, p. 143. Compare also Crantz, vol. 1, 
:' ' ivinulien, Coutributions, p. 17 (Cumber- 
1 1- piilfctly recognized, and in instances of 
uut btruple or censure. * * ^ Thereji-ctcd 
iisbiiml;" (Plover Buy.) Compare also Holm, 
ccouut of marriage and divorce in east Green- 



'"""'°™1 MARRIAC.E. 413 

son, in the paia^rrai)!! rcfciTod (() al>(>v«'. says tliat "A man of malmc 
age chooses a wile for hinisdl' ami fetches hei- lionic, frciiueiif.ly, to all 
appearance, much against her will." The diily case of the kind wliicli 
came to oiu- notice was in iss:;, whrn o ,f tli<' Kilaiiwitawinmeini at- 
tempted by blows to coerce Adwii'na, an Utkiavwifi yiil, to live with 
him, but was unsuccessful. 

A curious custom, not peculiar to these pcdple, is Ihe habit of ex- 

changing wives temporarily. For instance, man ol' our ae,|iiaiiil- 

ance planned to go to the rivers deer hunting in the summer of issi.' 

and borrowed his cousin's wife for the expedition, as she was a g 1 

shot and a good hand at deer hunting, while his own wife went with 
his C(msiu on the trading expedition to the eastward. On their retnin 
the wives went back to their respective husbands. 

The couples sometimes find themselves better pleased with their new 
mates than with the former association, in which case the exchange is 
made permanent. This happened once in TJtkiavwiil to our certain 
knowledge. This custom has been observed at Fury and Ilecla Straits,' 
Cumberland Gulf,'^ and in the region arouinl Kepulse I'.a-y, where it 
seems to be carried to an extreme. 

According to Gilder^ it is a usual thing among friends in that region 
to exchange wives for a week or two about every two months. Among 
the Greenlaiiders the only custom of the kind mentioned is the tempo- 
rary exchange of wives at certain festivals described by Egede.^ 

Holm also describes "thegameof putting out the lamps," or "chang- 
ing wives," as a common winter sport in East Greenlainl. He also, 
however, speaks of the temjwrary exchange of wives among these i)eople 
much as described elsewhere.' 

I am informed by some of the whalemen who winter in the neighbor- 
hood of Repulse Bay, that at certain times there is a general exchange 
of wives throughout the village, each woman passing from man to man 
till she has been through the hands of all, and finally returns to her 
husband. All these cases seem to me to indicate that the Eskimo 
have not wholly emerged from the state called communal marriage, in 
which each woman is considered as the wife of every man in the c<iia- 
munity. 

Stdii (ling and treatment of iromiii. — The women appear to stand on a 
footing of perfect equality with the men both in the family and in the 
connnunity. The wife is the constant and trusted companion of the 
man in everything except the hunt, and her opinion is sought in every 
bargain or other important undertaking.'' 

> Parry, 2n(l Voyage, p. 528. 

'Kunilien, Contributions, p. 16. 

sScliwatlia'a Sfarch, p. 197. 

n;rwnlan.l,p. 139. 

«(;e.pfir.. Tills., vol. 8, p. 92. 

'Compare Parry, 2(1 Voy.iKC, pp. 520-528, NordoTiskiilld (Vi'sa. vol. 1. p. 449) : The woulmi are "treated 
a.f tl.e equals of tiie men. an.i the wife w.as alwa.ys eonsulte.l I.> th.- hu.liaii.l whe i a more imiM.rtaiit 
bargain than usual was to he made." (Pitlekaj.) This Htatrm.nl is aipplh-able, word for word, tolho 
women of Point Barrow. 



414 TIIK I'OI.NT BARKOW ESKIMO. 

Dr. Simpson's (lcscni)tiou' of tlie standinj,' of tlic women at Toint 
Harrow in liis time is so true at the ])reseiit day that I may be par- 
doned for tpiotiufr Ihe whole of it: 



iiHi ilr 
lul hill 



vi.li..ii iH.t to share the lahors of the mi.m,. A nv ohmu s onliiiMrv o.cni.atioiis nrr. .scw- 
iiiK, <h.. pr.-].aratioii of skins for niakiii- aii.l inrn.lii,.;. rookiii-, and tli,_- fjoncral rarr 

.I .seal whirh hrr kusl.aiMl lias lak.-n. to «1,„ h ^ll^ is K"i'l'-'l '■> Ins tootniarks; and in 

The .statement in the first sentence that the husband's rule is mild is 
hardly eonsistent with that on the following page that " obedience 
seems to be the great virtue required, and is enforced by blows when 
necessary, until the man's authority is established." According to our 
experience the first statement is nearer the truth. We heard of few 
cases of wife-bcating, and those chiefly among the younger men. Two 
brothers, who habitually ill-treated their wives, were looked uijonwith 
disfavor, by some of our friends at least. We heard of one case where 
a stalwart wife turned tlie tables on her husband who attempted to 
abuse lier, givino him a thorough beating and then leaving his house. 

Wife-healing was not uncommon among the Greeulauders.^ We 
dill mil li'inii wlietlier a woman brought anything like a dowry, 
bill Siiiipsiin savs: " The woman's i»ro)i(^rty, consisting of her beads 
anil nliii'i- 111 naiiieiits, her iieedleease. liiiife, etc., are considered her 
own: ;in<i if a sepaialioii takes pjarr ilir clothes and presents are re- 
tnini'i! and sjic nicrei.N takes a\va\ wilii iier whatever she brought." 
Ae.-or.ling to Craiil/. ' a widow in (ireeiiland had no share of her hus- 
band's property, liiil owns only wiiat siie brought with her, and I am 
inclined to lielieve tiiat this is tlie case at Point Barrow. 

One widow of my ac(|uaiiitaiice, who apjieared to have no relatives 
in the village, was reduced almost to Ix'ggary, though her husband had 
been ipiite well-to do. All his property and even his boy were taken 
from h(^r by some of the other natives. Widows who have well-to-do 
relatives, esi)eciall,\- grown-up sons, are well taken ctu-e of and often 
marry again. According to Captain I'ari'y,' unprotected widows were 
robbed at Iglulili. 

Cliihhen.— From the small number of births which occurred during 
our stay at Point Harrow, we were able to ascertain little in regard to 
this sid>iect. When a woman is about to be confined, she is isolated in 

'0l...it., |,2:VJ. 

•' S,-i. K;;.-.lr, ]i. 1 11, •■ |„r a.-conliu^' h, thum it 8ij,TiilU-3 iiulbiug tUata mau beata bis wife." 



MtTRUocH.I CHILDRKN. 41 f, 

;i little snow hut in ^^^ntl■l• or a little tent in siiniiiier, in wliicli slie re 
mains for some time— just how h)nju; we wore unalde to leaiii. ('a|.laiii 
Herendeensawaiiregnantwomanin ITtkiavwin tMiKaucij.on Mai<h .SI , in 
building a little snow house, which she told him was incanl IWr hci cum 
finement, but she had evideTitly somehow niiscalrulntcd liei' time, as her 
child was not born till mueli later, when I he |ieo|ih' iiail irjosed into I he 
tents. She and her child lived in a little ti'iit on the lieacji dose ti. lu-r 
husband's tent, evidently in a sitting position, as the tent was not large 
enough for her to lie down in. Her husband was desirous ot going oil 
on the summer deer hunt, but, under the cireumslanccs. cnsioni torliade 
his leaving the neighlxiriiood of the village till the ice al sea lirokc ii|). 
The same custom of isolating the women daring childbirth has been 
observed by Kumlien and lioas at Cumberland (iulf, and in (Greenland 
the motlu^r was not allowed to eat or drink in the oi)en air.^ Lisiansky 
describes a similar practice in Kadiak in isii,"),' and Klutschak also 
notes it among the Aivillirnuut.^ 

The custom of shutting up the mother and cliild in a snow house in 

cliihl that was liorn in winter during our stay lived Init a short time, 
('apt. Ilerendecn sisited liiis family at Nuwilk shortly after tlie (h'ath of 
the child, and saw the snow jionsc in which the woman iiad been com- 
tined. lie was alx.nt to take a drink of water from a di]ipcr which he 
saw in I lie igln, but was prevented by the other ix'opic, wlio told liim that 

nse it. In Greenland the mother had a separate water jiail.-' For a 
time, oar visitors from rtkiavwTn were veiy iruicli afraid to drink out 
of the tin pannikin in our washroom, for fear it had been used by Niak 

sara.a w an w ho had leccntly sutfcrcd ;i miscarriage. One man told us 

tiiat a sore.m his face was caused by his ha\ing inad\crtcntly done so. 
This same woman was forbidden to go ont among the broken ice of the 
land tloe, during the spring succeeding her miscarriage, tliongh she 

might go out on thesii tli shore ice. J ler husband also was forbidden 

to work witii a hammer or adz or to go seal-eatching for some time 
after the mishap. 

Chiiilren are nm'sed until they are ;! or 1 years old, a.'c.ii'ding to what 
appears to be tile universal habit among Kskimo, ami which is prol)- 
abl\(liic, as generally supposed, to tli.' tact that tlic animal f..od on 
wliicli the parents subsist is not lit for the nonrislimcnt of young chil- 
dren, 'flic cliild is carried naked on the motjicr's back nndi'r her 
clot lies, and held iiii by the girdle, tied higher than usual. When she 
wishes to nurse it, she loosens her girdle and slips it round to the breast 



416 THK POINT KAKKOW ESKIMO. 

without l.l■in^n^<; it oat into thi>, air. Uiiildrcii are carried in this way 
until they Mi- able to walii and often later. 

V hu"-!' child sit.s astride of his mother's back, with one lej;- nnder 
each of her arms, and lias a little suit of clothes in which he is dressed 
when the mother wishes to set him down. When the child is awake, 
this liood is thrown back and the child raised quite high so that he looks 
over his mother's shoulder, who then covers her head with a cloth or 
.somethiny- of the sort. The woman appears to be very little iiicon- 
veniencciM>v her burden, and t;des about her work as usual, aud the 
chilli docs not seem to be disturbed by her movements. The little girls 
often act as nurses and carry the infants around on their backs, in the 
same way. it is no unusual sight to see a little girl of ten or twelve 
carrying a well grown, heavy child in this way. 

'pjiisciist )r a very similar one seems to iirevail among the Eskimo 

generall.N. In (Irecnlaml, the nurse wears a garment especially de- 
signed for carrying the child, an amaut, i. e., a garment that is so wide 
in the back as to hold a child, which generally tumbles in it quite 
naked and is accommodated with no other swaddling clothes or cradle.' 
In East Greenland, according to Capt. Holm, "Saa lainge Bijirnene ere 
smaa, bajres de i det fri paa Moderens Ryg."^ 

Petitot's description of the method of carrying the cliildren in the 
Mackenzie district is so naive that it deserves to be quoted entire.-' 

Les ^l^rl■s qui allaitent portent une jaqnette ample et serr^e autour des reins par 
unc ceinttirc. KUo.s y cnfermentlenrchiire prog6niture qu'elles peuvent, par ce moyeu, 
alliiitcr san.s l'exi)()ser ;\ nn froid qui lui serait mortel. Ces jeunes enfants sontsans 
aucun vftoment ju.sqn';\rage d'envirou deux ans. Quant aux incongruit^s que ces 
petitcs creatures peuvent se permettre sur le dos de leur mfere, qui leur sert de calo- 
rifcTe, I'aniour materuel, le m6me chez tou8 les peuples, les endure patiemnient et 
avcc iiulilV(^rence. 

At Fury aud Hecla Straits, according to Parry \ the children are 
carried in the hood, which is made specially large on purpose, but 
sometimes also on the back, as at Point Barrow. The enormous hoods 
of the Eskimo women in Labrador also served to hold the child. The 
.same custom prevails at Cumberland Gulf. * In some localities, for in- 
stance the north shore of Hudson's Straits, where the woman wear very 
long and loose boots, the children are said to be carried in these.'' Frank- 
lin' refers to the same custom "east of the Mackenzie River." The 
SiberiaTi children, however, are dressed in regular swaddling clothes 
of deerskin, with a sort of diaper of dried moss." 

(1 of a single case of infanticide, and, indeed, children 

S.-i- nlso Egerte. p. i:il, and tlio picture in Eink'a T.ile8, etc., opposite p. 8. 



■ deerskii 


11, with 


We ncv( 


T hear 


Craiit/., vol. 
'(Jcogriltisli ' 


1. p. i:i«. 
riilslivift. 


'MoMo-nipli; 


!.•, i-lo., p. 


'Sicon.1 Voy 


nsc, p. 491 


>Kunili.m.C 


onlriluitii 


'SooKllis, V 


oy.1-0, rii 



'Nordi'DBkiold. Vega. vol.2, 



Mnu,..rH.l CIIIMHIKN. 117 

were s„ sc:ircf and sfcMicd so lii-hly i.rizcd llial we ncvn even llinii.ulit 
(if ilHiiliriu.i;- if itifaiitirid.' was ryw prarticed. Ncv.tI lirless. Siin|,soii 
speaks i.f the iH-curreiire ola case dinili.i; tli.' I'li.vei's \ isit ; '-liiil a 
cliild. they say. is destroyed only wiien afllirlrd with disrasr ol' a fatal 
tendency, or, in scarce seasons, when one (U' bolh |iarciits djc.'" Infan 
ticide. aecordin.ti' to I'.essels. is fre(|nenlly piaci iicii anion.u the I'.skinro 
of Smith Soimd, without re-anl of se\.- and Schwatka sp.'aks ol' fe 
mah' infanticide to a limited extent ainon.i; llu' people ot Km- Wil 
liani's Land.' 

Theatfeetiou of iiarents for their <'hildren is extreme, and the .-hil 
dreu seem to be tboronii'hl.v worthy of it. They show hardly a trace of 
the fretfuluess aud petulance so common amon.n ci\ ilized children, and 
tbouj>hindul,i;ed to an extreme extent are remarkal)!yoliedienl. Corpo 
ral puinshmeiit ajipears to be absolutely unknown and the children are 
rarel\- chidden or ]>nnished in any way. Indeed, thes seldom deserx c it. 
for, in spite of the freedom whi<-h they are allowed, they.lon.it oltcn •;.'t 
into any mischief, especially of a malicious sort, hut attend .piietly to 
their own atfairs and their own amusements. 

The older children take very j;'><>d care of the smaller ones. It is an 
atnusiug sight to see a little hoy of six or seven patnmi/.in.i; and pro- 
tecting a little toddler of t wo or thre.-. < 'hildren rarely ( ry except from 
actual ])aiu or terroi', and e\en then little ones are remarkably jiatient 
and ])lucky. The young children appear to receive little or no instiuc- 
tion except what they pick iij) in their play or from watching their elders. 

Boys of six or seven begin to shoot small birds and aiiinuils and to 
hunt for birds' eggs, and when they reach the age of twelve or fourteen 
are usually intrusted with a gun and seal sjiear and accompany their 
fathers to the hunt. Some of them .soon learn to be very skilllid hunters. 
We know one boy not over thirteen years old who, during the winter of 
l,SSl-',Sii, had his seal nets set like the men and used to visit them regu 
larly, even in the roughest weather. Lads of fourteen or fifteen are 
.sometimes regular members of the whaling crews. Li the meantime 
the little girls are learning to sew, in imitation of their mothers, and by 
the lime they are twelve years old they take their share of the cooking 
and other housework and assist in making the clothes for the family. 
They still, however, have plenty of leisure to play witli the other chil 
dren until they are old enough to be married. 

Affection for their children seems a universal trait among the Lski- 
mo and there is scarcely an author who does not speak in terms of 
commendation of the behavior and disposition of the Eskimo .-hildren. 
Som.' .if th.'s.' passages ar.' so appli.'aid.' t.i the p.-ojile .if I'.iint Barr.iw 
that I ••an n.it f.irbear .pniting them. Kgc.l.' says:^ 

•j'hcv liav.' .-I vrn tni.l.i l.o\r lui tlii-ir Chililn'ii. aii.l rli.' Mi.tUtT always oarm-s the 

i|„, ,i, I, -,.,11 'KatunilisTT-..!. 18. pt. 9. p. 874. 

3S,'i',.ii.-.-' v..r4 1.. r.l4. ' GivinUiuil. p. 14B. 



i 



41)^ TIIK I'OINT liAHKOW 



liisci.-ii.iii N..l\\ iilisl;iiHliiii; wlii.li. wlini tli<,\ :iii' grown, they never socin iiicliiifd 

j^^ yi^.i. ^,|, i; II, .|^ „|,i,li i>i.. iir ailiiiiinl. It is trne, they show no great Kesiiei't to 

tl • ■ I'lrriils^iii ni\ (iiiiw alii i'oiiiis, lull always are very willmg to do what they 
(iriliT Ilieiii ilii>ii"li -"iiicliiiio Ihi'v will iiicl their Parents tlo it themselves. 

Accoidinu lo(':i|>i. Holm,' in East Gieeiilaiul, "De opvow. i deumest 
ulmiuliie FHln'il. iMini-Ulrene u.ere en uln'ski ivelii; Ivi^ii li-licd til deni 
(io- strairc (U'lii derlbr aldrig-, selv oni de eic ncik saa -imsti idiue. Man 
niaa iniidlertid boniidie, livor velopdragnc di- smaa alli.nvM-l ere." 

rairy speaks still more strongly .-' 

The atVertioii of ),arciits for tlieir chihhvii was tic.|U.-ntly displayed hy these people, 
not oiil\ ill tl»- iii'i'- |>assive iiidiilneii.c anil alistiiienee from corporal punishment 
for whiili l'.>.|niinaii\ lia vr linn l..ri.ie iviiiaikid. lint by a thousand playful endear- 
nieiiis alsii. siiih as jiarnits and niiisis jnailii i- in onr own country. Nothini;. indeed 

occasion tlicii iiaienls lilllc linul.li> anil tn icnilri scMiiiy towards them (juite uu- 
i]iMcssar\. IImii (iciiii tlic'ii cailiist inlainy, lliey possess that quiet disposition, 

■ TiiIlriMs- 'if iliiiiia , anil iinroiniiiuii iveiiiiiss of temper, for which in more mature 

a^i- lliry aiv r..i thr most part ilist innuislird. Disobedience is scarcely ever known; 
a w Old or iviii a hn.k tViini a |iareiit is nicni^h ; and I never saw a single instance of 
that flow a id HISS ami ilisposit ion to misriiiif which, iu oiu' youth, SO often requires 

111.- wind. • aii.nti la pai.nt 1. 1 watrh .n.'i and to correct. They never cry from 

tiilliii;; a. .iiliiits, ami s.mi.l lines not .■v.ai from very severe hurts, at which an 
Knulish ihilil w ..nlil sol. tor an hour. It is, indeed, astonishing to see the inditifereuee 
Willi whi.li, .Mil as (inil.i- infants, they bear the numerous blows they accidentally 
n-..n.- wh.-ii .ani.'.l at ih.-ii mothers' backs. 

I sliduld be willino to allow tlii.s passage to stand as a description of 
the Point I'.arrow children. It is interesting to compare with these pas- 
sages N<)ni<'iiski(-.ld's account^ of the children at Pitlekaj, who, if not as 
he ;ind other writins believe, of pnre Chiikch blood, are at any rate of 
niixfil Cimkeh and Kskinio descent: 

I'll.- .hildi.ii ai.' n.'itliiT .■hasris.-.l nor s.a.l.l.'il. They are, however, the best be- 
liaM-.l I hav.' i-\i-y s.'.n. i'li.ir lirlia\ ior in the tent is equal to that of the best 
lirouiiht ii|i Ian.. [..an .liil.li.n in tin- paihir. They are not perhaps so wild as ours, 

.•onntiy. ria\ tliim^^ an- als.. in us.'. " If the ]iar.n I ^ ;4.t a n\ .l.dieacy they 

it goes fr.iiii 111 lit. .nil. mil i-.iiiml th.- wln.l.' i-ompany. In the same way the child 

ofl'ers its falli. 1 ami m..lh.'ia tast...!' tin' hit of sugar or piece of bread it has got. 

Kveii ill eliil.lli I tin- I 'linkihs ai .■ .x.av.liiiKly patient. A girl who fell doAvn from 

111.' slii|.'s siairs h. :r.l t..i.' si ami tliiis i^ol s.i \ ii.l.-ii t a blow that she was almost de- 

|.riv.'.l ol Inaiiii^ v.an.ly ntt.r.-d a . r\ . \ lio\ tlii.-e or four years of age, much 
i.ilh-.l up in fnr>. win. lill il.iwii info a ilit.li . iit in the iee on the ship's deck, and in 
eons.-qiienee of his inc-oiivenient dress couhl not g.-t up. lay quietly still until he was 
oliserved and helped up by one of the crew. 

'Gcograflsk Tiilskrilt, v..l .<, p. 91. 
" Second To,v.ag.'. I,. ,-.U'.l. 



'"■•■'I""" I nilLDKEN KIGins AND WKONCS. II!) 

The only cxtTaordiiiMrv tliiiiu' alxmt tin- Clnikcli .■liiMivii iv il„.ip 
large immher, mentidiicil l>y tlic s:nin' nnllmr.' This Idoks :is if ilic 
infusion of now Ivlood li^nl iiicrc;i.sfil tlic lcitilit\ ol' the ran-. All 

authors who have (h'sciilx'd Kskiii f iininixrd (h'sccnt auicr in 

regard to the .neuendly small luunber of their orrsi)riiig. (H lier a(<-uiiiits 
of Eskimo chihUen are to l.e Ibiiiid in (lie writings ot I'.essels,' ('rant/,.' 
Schwatka/ Gilder/' J. .Simpson." and Iloopei.- 

The custom of adoption is as universal at I'oint llaiiow as it appears 
to be among the Eskimo generally, ami tlir a<lopte<l children are 
treated by the parents preeis.-l\- as if they wcr.- Ilnarown tlcsli and 
blood. Orphans are readily provided tbr, as there are always plenty 
of families ready and willing to talce them, and women who lia\c sev- 
eral ehildreu frefinently give away one or more of them. I'amiliis that 
have nothing but boys often adopt a girl, and, of eonrse, \ ice \ersa, 
and we know of one case wheie a woman who had lost a yonng infant 
had another given lier by one of her fiiends. 

Tlii.s very general custom of giving away <'hildren, as well as the 
habit already mentioned of temporarily exchanging wives, i-eiidered it 
quite difficult to ascertain the parentage of any person, esju'cially as it 
seems to be the custom with them to speak of first cousins as "mdu 
atauzlk" ("one breast," that is, brothers and sisters). While a lioy is 
d(!sired in the family, since he will be the support of his father when 
the latter grows too old to hunt, a girl is almost as highly jirized. for 
not only will she help her mother ^vith the cares of housekeeping when 
she grows up, but she is likely to olitain a good husband who may be 
induced to become a member of his father-in law's family.^ 

i;i(iIITS VND WRONGS. 

I have already spokiMi of the feelings of these people- in regard to 
offenses against property and crimes of violence. As to the relations 
between the sexes there seems to be the most complete absence of what 
we consider moral feelings. Promiscuous sexual intercourse betwe(>n 
married or unmarried people, or even among children, appears to la- 
looked u]ioii simply as a matter for amusement. As far as we eonld 
learn nnchastity in a girl was considered nothing ag;iinst her. and in 
fact one girl who was a most alcindoned and shameless inostitiite among 
the sailors, and who, we were t(dd, had had improper relations with 
some of her own race, had no dittieulty in obtaining an excellent husl)aiid. 

Kemarks of the most indecent character are freely bandied back and 
forth between the sexes in public, and are received with shouts of 
laughter by the bystanders. Nevertheless, some of the women, esjie 

' Vi'ya, vol. 1, ]>. 449. "Science, vol. 4, No. 98, p. 544. 

'Naturalist, vol. 18, pt. 9, p. 874. 'Schwatka's Search, p. 287. 

3 History of Cireenland. vol. 1, p. 1H2. 'Op. cit., p. 250. 

'Tent8,'ctc., pp. 24, 201. 

"Accounts of this cuatom of adoption are to be found in C'rantz, vol. 1. p. I6S; Tarry, Scicmcl Voy- 
age, p, .^31; Kumlien, Contributions, p. 17: Gilder, Schwatka's Search, p. 247, and the pa.snaRc con- 
cerninj; children quoted above, from Dr. Simpson. 



42(1 



HAHKUW ESKIMO. 



hut 


it is f.w 


■l-IIM 


\vh; 


iliii.U tl.'Cl 


'•> 


tliii 


ij; l>y I lie 


hits 


tl.c 


pii.v i.f 


liic 


th.' 


Inn., „[■ 1 


I, 111. 



■ .in iKit pi'osfitutc tlieiusclvi's ti> till" sail- 
Ill lor.uaiii isiinlciiowii aiiioiii;' themselves, 
•iliaiiieli'ss r\t('iil witli tile sailors of the. 
,voiiieii,aiiil is even considered a laudable 
tlicis. win. are iirrfectly u illili,;;- to reeei\•e 
dau,•;■lll(■^s• iVailry. especially if it takes 
son' says: - It is said hy themselves that 
hcloie iiianiagc, as well as faithful after 
ward lo their liusliaiids; and this seems to a eertaiu exteut true." But 
lie ■•<»•> on loadil: "III their conduet toward strangers the elderly 
wdincii tVcipiciith t'\liiliit a shameless want of laodesty, aud the meu 
an ciiiialix sliaiiichss iiidilference, except for the reward of their part- 
ner's tVailty." It M'ciiis to me that he must have been deceived by the 
nati\cs coiu'cTiiiii'; the first statement, since the immorality of these 

.,1,. ;,]iioim theiiisehes. as we witnessed it, seems too ])urely animal 

and natural to li ■ of rei'cnt jiiowth or the result of foreign intiueuce. 
Moreover, a similar state, of affairs has been obsei'Ved a moil j;- Eskimo 
• ■Isewhere, notably at l-liilik at the time of Parry's visit.- 

SOCI.\t. I.I1''K AMI t'fSTOMS. 

I'hou.uli the idea of cleauliuess 

ibly from our ideas, rhey are as a 

Pliear atHrst sight. Considering 

veil for purposes of drinking, in the 

ty work, like the dressing of skins, 

illy clean. The floor and walls are 

is immediately wiped up. They are 

any snow or dirt on their feet, and 

• brushed off from the outer garment, 

iiig the room and left in the passage. 

pit on the floor or in the passage, but use 

This is practically the only ofifen- 

ised by both sexes in the jjresence 

ith less exposure and immodestv 



. 1. :i: till I. In - t ^ii..ri. illy iir\ ■.)! fi'iii.li.rr horn, with wllictl 
in r /).«« i< wsiiiilly imt oft' before uw ;;oes in! ii the inner tent, 
iiw. Tlie eiii-pnt of walrus sltins whieli covers the floor of the 

Even the outer tent is .swept clean and free from loose snow. 





l',r..on<iI 


lalhils, i 


■Inlillil), 


",vx, ftc- 


ai 


iioii.U- thes 


V people 


differs 


colisi.h' 


n 


lie far frol 


II being : 


.s tilthy 


■ as they 


11 


leditri.'illt 


y of obt; 


lining \ 


\-ater, ev 


w 


inter sea.- 


;oii. the i 


gill, nil 


less dirt 


el 


c., is goii 




kept r 


eiuarkal 


S( 


■riipulousl 


y scrape. 


1 and a 


11 dirt i; 


1'^ 


iMlicularb 


,• careful 


Mot to 


l.rir.gin 


tl 


le snow ai 


id hoarfi 


rost is c 


■ar.'tully 


T 


liicli is oft 
hey are al 


en reino\' 
so carefii 


.■dbetb: 


re enteri 
1 spit on 


f 


.r this pin 


■pose the 


lai-e u 


rine tub, 


.-i 


ve oliject 


ill III.' ho 


iiise, as 


it is freel 




Ith.' ivst. 


This is 


d 1 


lowever. 




H)|..,ii..i..2: 


oiild sup 


1 "'-'■■ 






a. 










se, |i. rrJM. 







lllIM 


itly lliiowii 


Olll 


doo 


IS. Til.- IIH 


I'M 


null 


, Mini III.' c. 


DIlIC 


Ills (1 


r Ihis is .-ai 


'<■■ 


(if 


til." il.MIS," 


is 1 


llllS |. 


..■|.l .-l.^aiu 


as 


HUH 


lin-s. All 


iiiai 


111. 'Id 


.rnihl.isliai 


1.1 




;n.ninl, will 


Hinl 


i-.'ua 


nl 1,. .l.'.-."ii 


'■.V 


■I'di 


ii-lyi.rrriisi 


\ (• w 


Ik-iiI 


ll.'Sll.lU III.'] 


lis 


aiv 


tlir d.i-s, V 


vlio: 


-IV...I 


ily.l.'v..ui.i 


il.l 



Mi'ui.".ii,| I'KUSOXAI, iiAiurs. 121 

Til.- (■..nt.Mlts ,)f rllis v.'ss.'l, li.'ili.;- IliiN.'.l with l.'.-.'S, is II. >l lit tul- 

tannin- skins, ct.'., an.l is .-.i 
use a small tub (kuovwin) as : 
fully sav.'.l. Th..uoli lli.' int. 
inu.-li .-an not l.c said lor ils > 
tilth is siiii|.ly tlir.iwn oiil up. 
or .•.>iiitbrt. an.l this 1..m-oiii.'s 
in suiiini.'r. Th.' .nily s.mv.mi. 

l.i..c,.s .,f skill, r.-fiis.. in..al. an.l .-v.ai r.'.'.'s. In r.'-ai.l I rs.nial 

.■l.'anlin.'ss. tli.-iv is .•,,iisi.l.aalil.' .lilh'r.Mi.'.' \H■\^^rru iii.livi.luals. S.inic 

IMM.].!.', .•s|....'ially th." I ivr w.Mii.ai an.l .■liil.lr.n. aiv ii.il ..nly .-aivl.'ss 

ahoiil their .■lotht's, -■..in-- aliout .livss.'.l in la.u-.'.l, -rcasy, lilthy .uar- 
nicnts, but s.'hl.nn wash .'xi'ii tli.'ir fa.'.'s an.l haii.ls. iiin.-h l.'ss Ih.ar 
whol.' persons. One of tli.-s,. \v..in.-n. in.l.-.'.l. was .Ics.-rib.'ii l.y li.'r 
oTown up .lauf;htcr as "That wonuiu with th.' black on h.'r nos.'." 

Oil the other hand must of the wealthier people appear to take pride 
in beinji- neatly .dad. and. exi-ept when actually engagv.l in some .lirty 
work, always have their faces an.l han.ls. at l.'asf, s.'riipiiloiisly .dean 
and their hair u.'atiy .■onih.'.l. Even tli.' wind.' person is s..iii. •times 
washed in spite of th.' s.'arrity of water. Many are 4;lii<l <•> 'A''^ ^"'iP 
(iBkrikun) and use it freely. Lieut. Ray .says that his tw.) j;uides, 
Mu'nialu and Apaidyao, at the eud of a day's numdi w.mld iiev.-r sit 
down to su|iper with.mt washing their faces and hands with s.iaj) an.l 
water, an.lc.nnbini; their hair, and I recollect that once, when 1 went over 
to the village to get a .youug man to start with Lieut, 'liay on a boat 
journey, he would not start until he had hnnt.Ml up a [li.'.-.' of soap and 
washed his lace and hands. These p.'.iple, ..f c.)iirse. pra.ti.e the 
usual Eskimo habit of washing themselves with freshly passe.l urine. 
This custom arises not only from the scarcity of water and th.- difli- 
enlty of heating it, but from the fact that th.- amm.mia .if th.' urine is 
ail .'x.'.dlent substitute tor soap in removing the grease with whi.li the 
skill ii.'cessarily becomes soil.'.l.' This fact is w.dl known to ..nr whale- 
men, who are in the habil of saving tli.'ir urine to wash the .>ily chithes 
with. Thesamebabitisiira.'ti.-.'.lby th.''- (;hukclies".,>f east.Tii Siberia.-' 
All, however, get more ..r l.'ss shabby and dirty in the siiinin.r, wlu-n 
they ar.' living in t.'uts an.l boats. All ar.' more or l.'ss inlested 
with lice, an.l they an- in th.' habit of searching .'a. h ..tliers" h.'a.ls for 
these, which they eat, aft.-r the faslii.m of so many otlu'r sa\ ages. They 
have also another tilthy habit— that .>f .ating the mucus from th.'uos 
trils. A similar pra.'tice was noti.'.'.l in (Ire.uiland by Eg.'.b," who 
goeson (luaintly to say: '' Thus they make goo.l tli.' ol.l pr.>verb, • What 
drips from the nose falls into the mouth, that n.ithing may be lost."" 



422 'l'"l'. POINT HARiiOW ESKIMO. 

Salutation.— Wc 1i;mI rid (ipijortiiiiity iif witiu'ssiiii; any meeting hc- 
lui'cu these iieople ami slran.ne l^skiiiiii. so that it is impossible to tell 
wJK'ther they jn-aetice aii,\ particuhir fonii of salutation on such oeea- 
sioiis. We saw nothiii:; ol' the kind amouf;' themselves. White, men 
ai-e saluleil uiih shouls ol •• N'akui'uk !" (good), aud some E.skimo 
June learned to sliake hands. Tiiey no longer ])ractice tlie eommon 
Kskiuio salutation otruM.iiig noses, l.nt say that ihey on.'c did. Sergt. 

:Middleton Sinitli. of onr parly, inloriiis I hat he once saw a couple 

or natives in ("apt. JJerendeenVs tradin- store -i\-.' an exliibition of the 
way this sahilation was formerly practiced. 

TInscnsiom waspcriiaps falling into disuse as early as 1837, since 
'J'liomas Simpson.' in des<'riliiiig his reception at i'oint Barrow, says: 
•■We \M re iiii|,liowe\er. i-itlicr u](on tliis or anyothcr occasion, favored 
witli the kooiiiks or nose rubbing salutations thai lia\-e so annoyed 
other travelers." Mr. I^json. how ever. e\prcssly stales tliatthe peojile, 
jirobably Ctkiax w nimimi. wiiom lie met al K'efn-e Inh-t eleven years 
bi.fore. niblH'd noses and clieeks with him- and ]\Iaguire' narrates how 
tiic head of the parly of visitors from Point Hope saluted him. He says: 
"He fixed his forelieaci against mine and used it as a fulcrum to rub 

//,.„/,-,„/._As is the case with Ivskimo generally, these peoph' rely 
fill' curing disease chielly uiion the efforts of certain i)ersons who have 
the power of exorcising the sii|ieriiatnral beings by whom the disease 
is caii.sed. .\ large number of men and. 1 lielieve, some women were 
supjiosed to iiave tliis power and exercise it in cases of siekness, ia 
.some instances, al least, ujioii ilic payment of a fee. These people 
c.iiivspond closely to the aiigekui of the (iivenlanders and Eastern Es- 
kimo, ami the socalle<l "shamans" <,f southern Ahiska. but, as far as 
we <'oiil(l >(■<■, do not possess tlie power and intluelice n.suallv else- 



cell 


liiii^ III 


I.'SI 


■ pc 


opi 


e. ; 


iml w 


■.■ Ol 


Illy 


.lis.-.iv. 


■re.l easi; 


lallv 1 


ha, 


sucli and 


in a 


1 a pe 
certai 


11 c; 


use 1 


:)f > 


iick 


do<-t(i 


'or'l 


y 1 

lo 


..■ariiig 1 
p.-rlbrm 


that he 1 


la.l b, 
renioi 


L'CU 

ly o 


employ.Ml 
f incanta- 


lion 


We 


dii 


1 II. 


.1 : 


CM' 


11 sue 


.■...■d 


ii 


1 I.Niriiii 


i.i; th.' na 


ill.' .>f 


■ th 


is class of 


l"-"l 


|,h.. wl 


lo. 


ill t; 


ilk 


iiit; 


with 


lis. ' 




nhl,-a!l 


th.MiiscIv 


.•s "t 


hkt.- 


■■'■ as they 


did 


onr sii 


rge 


on. 


() 


II o 


■nc oci 


casi( 


111 


s .■ of 


the ]iart. 


y hap 


p.'iii 


I'd to vi.sit 


the 


house 


of; 




k II 




whei 


von 


.■. 


.ft lies.-' 


■.l.»'tors' 




atw.uk. He 


sal 


facin- 


the 


elil 


rai 


ice 


of tin 


• h.ii 


IS.' 


•. blMtill! 


i his.lrii 


111 at 


inte 


rvals, and 


mal. 


■ ing a 


lia 


lihli 






ise Wl 


nil ! 




lips, lb 


Uow.mI In 


>■ l.m.i; 


; sp. 


'cch.'s ad- 


die- 


<s.-d 1, 


. so 


met 


hill 


,U d 


own 


th.' 


Ir; 


ip.loor. 1 


.i.bliii- i 


t "g.> 


1" 


Wt, were 


giM 


'II to II 


mb 


•rsl; 


iimI 


th 


at III. 


•S.' s 




•rh.'S W-. 


■iva.ldiv 


SS.mI 1 


r.i a 


tuBiia or 


snpi 


I'l'lialU! 


ral 


lici' 




1 


'•"''•■' 


i.nly 


i.i 


ea of dii 


rect treat 


:inent 


of 


disea.se is 



"■■" 'I IIKALIXO. 42;] 

tlie part am-ctcd. 

We know (if one case wlicir a suri'crcr IViiiii suiric li\cr <-iiiii|ilaiiil liail 
inflicted on liiiiiscli; ,>y had had inlliftcd ii|„,n him. ciuitc a considnaldc 
Cllt on the vi.uhr sich' with a \ie\\ of i'elic\ in- llic pain. W'c also knou 

of several cases where tlie patients liad (hernselves c Ilic seal]. <ir 

back to relieve hea<hiche ,,i- rhenmatisni. and .aic case « here Ih,' hiller 
disorder. I l.eli.'\-e. Iiad lieen Ireateil hy a sexcre cnl on Ihe sid.' ol' the 
knee. .\ siniihir i.ra<-tice has been oliserved at \'h>vry l;a\ . Silx-ria. hy 
Hooper,' wlio also mentions the use ,.f a^ kind ..f seton for th.' reli.^l' of 
headache. 

They als., prai-tice a sort of ron-h-and-ready siiriicry. as in llie case 
of the man already mentioned, whose feet had liotli heen ampulaled. 

cartridge was left with a stump of hone protrndini; at the cn<i of the 
fluger. Our surgeon attempted to treat tliis. bnt alter two nnsnccessfnl 
trials to etheri/e tlie ])atient he was ol)liyed to i;ive it np. When, how 
ever, the yonn.i; man's fathei' in law. who was a noted '-doctor." came 
home he said at om-e that tlic stitmp mnst come off. and the patient 
had to submit to the oi)eratioii without ether. The ■■doctor" tried to 
borrow Dr. Oldmi.xon's bone fbrce]>s, and when these were reluseil jiini 
cut the bone off, I believe, with a chisel. They api>ear to liave no cure 
for blindness. We Inward nothin.u' "f the enrions process ot' •■coucliinji" 

described by Egede in (ireenland. p. ll'l. We had i pportnnity of 

observing their nn'thods of treating wounds oi' otlier external injuries. 
Snif.'rers were vci-y glad to he treated ]>y onr snrgeon. and eagerly ac- 
cepted his medicines, though In- had considerahle diflicult\ in making 
them obey his diivctions ab.mt taking care of themselves. 

.\fter tiu-y had been in the habit of receiving the surgeon's medicine 
for s(nnetime. oneof the t/tkia vwiiT natives gave Oapt. Ilerendeen what 
he said was their own niedicim'. It is a tiny hit of turf whi<-h they 
called nntia klibmihi. and which, therefore. |irohahly came from the high- 
land of the upper Meade bivei', which region bears the name of 
Kiiimr.hp We wei'c able to get Very little inforiiKition ahoul this sub- 
slam-e, hut my impression is that it was said to be ailministercd in- 
ternally, ami 1 helies-e was specially recommended for bleeding at the 
lungs. I'ossihh this is the same as ■•the black moss that growsoii the 
moitntain." which, according to ('rant/.-' was eaten by the Greenlanders 
to stop lilood-spittiiig. 

CISI'OMS CdNClOKNTNc; TIIK DKAl). 

.1/m^»7/oh.v.— From the fact that we did not hear of any of the deaths 
until after their oceurreuce, we were able to learn very few of their 



CUStlUIIS (•( 




.li;iii 


Ic-.llill' 


(I \vi 


imist ; 


ll.stil 


iuMio,! 


— 1 1 


alxmi 


Noil 




1 Wfl 


work.- 




A « 


'oiiia 


the ai 


itlllM 



424 Tin: POINT I'.AHKOW ESKIMO. 

iiiii' till' (Ifail. Tlir li'w observations we were able to 
e Miaiii wiili iliosc uiatb' clsewlicic. For instance, we 
ral)li- .Trlaiiilv that tlie relatives of the dead, at least, 

a wiirkiiiu iHi u I with an ax or hammer for a certain 

four 111- li\c <la>s. Ac(M)rding' to l^all,' in the region 
iiid liic men can not cut wood witli an ax for five days 
s ,M-,-ui|-ed. In (ireenhmd the bonsehold <.f the de- 
;,.(! Id abstain for a wliile from certain kinds of foo.l and 

flkiavwin. ulio came over to tlic staticm one day in 
SSI. (Icciined to sew on elotliing. even at our house, 
because, as slie lold Lieut. I!ay, there was a dead man in the ^^llage 
who had uoi yet been carried out to the cemetery and " he ■would see 
her." .\.fler considling with her husband, however, she concluded she 
conlil proiecl iierself from him by tracing a circle about her on the floor 
uii h a snow knile. in this circle she did the sewing required, and was 
careful lo kee|i all iier work inside of it. 

t)neof llie nalixes informed me that when a man died his labrets -were 
taken oul and Ihrowii away. 1 remem I ler, however, seeing a young man 
wearin- a pin- labret of syenite, wliich 1h' said had belonged to an old 
man who (bed early in the winter of |ssi-"S'_'. It was ])erhaps removed 
befoi-e ii.' a<-luallydieil. 

Mdiimr <if ilisjioxiitii III' the dead. — The corpse is wrapped up in apiece 
of sailciolli (dci'isl;iii was formerly used), laid upon a flat sled, and 
dragged oiil l(,\a small party of people — perhaps the immediate relatives 
of tlie deceased, Ihouuh we never happened to see one of these funeral 
processions exce|if from a distance — to the cemetery, the place where 
'■ they sleep on the ground." This place at Utkiavwin is a ri.sing ground 
about a mile and a half east of the village, near the head of the south- 
west branch of tlie Isfitkwa lagoon. AtNuwuk the main cemetery is 
at •• Nexeurii," betw ecn tlie xillage and Pernyu. The bodies are laid out 
upon the ground williout any regular arra,ngement ai)|)arently, though 
it isditHcult to be snreof this, as most of the remains have been broken 
up and scattered by dogs and foxes. With a freshly wrapped body it is 
almost impossible to tell which is the head and which the feet. We 
unfortunately never noticed whether the heads were laid toward any 
liarlicnlar point of the compass, as has been observed in other localities. 
Dr. Simi),son says thai I he head is laid to the east at Point Barrow. 

Various implements belonging to the deceased are broken and laid be- 
side the corpse, and the sled is sometimes broken and laid over it. Some- 
times, however, the latter is withdrawn a short distance from the cemetery 
and left on the tundra f(H' one moon, after which it is brought back to 
the village. :MoNt people do not seem to be troubled at having the 

' Alaslia, p. 146. 



'"•'■■"""1 DISPOSAL OF Tin: DKAD. 125 

bodies of their lehitivcs (listmhed by tlie doos or (itlier ;iiiiiiiais,' hut 
we know of one case where tlie iiareiits of two ciuldren wiio died veiy 
nearly at the same time, finding that tlic dog-s were getting at the 
bodies, raised tliem on stages of diirtwuod abont 1 or 5 feet liigh. 
Simikr stages were observed by Hooper at Plover Bay:' Imf tin's nictiioii 
of disposing of the dead appears to have gone out of use a I tlir present, 
day, since Dall' describes tlie ordinary Sibei'ian nietiiod of la\ inu out 
the dead ui ovals of stone as in use at I'lover Bay at the time of liis 
visit. 

The cemetery at Utkiavwifi is not eonlined to tlie spot I liaxc men 
th)ned, though most of the bodies are exposed there. .\ few bodies 
are also ex])osed on the other side of tlie lagoon, and one liody. that of 
a man, was laid (,id at tlic e.lgv of tlie liiglicr tundra, about a inilc due 
east from tlie station. Tlie body was coxcivd witli canvas, slaked 
down all round with broken paddles, and over it was laid a Hat sledge 
with one runner broken.' At one end of the body lay a wooden disli, 
and under the edge of the canvas were broken seal-darts and other 
spears. T1ie body lay in an east and west line, but we could not tell 
which end was the head. All sorts of objects were scattered round the 
cemeteiy — tools, dishes, and even a few guns — though we saw none that 
ai)peared to have been serviceable when exposed, exce])t one Snider 
rlHe. If, as is the case among Eskimo in a good many other jilaces, 
all the personal property of the deceased is supposed to liccomr lUM'leaii 
and must be exposed with him, it is pniiiable that iiis tVicnds manage 
to renmve the more valuable articles before he is actualh dead. ' 

The method of disposing of the dead varies slightly among the 
Eskimo in different localities, but tlic wcajions or other implements 
belonging to the deceased are always laid beside the corpse. The cus- 
tom at Smith Sound, as described by Bessels," is remarkably like that 
at Point J'.arrow. The corpse was wrapped in furs, placed on a sledge, 
and dragged ont and buried in the snow with the face to the west. The 
sledge was laid over the body and the weapons of the deceased were de- 
posited beside it. Tnlike the Point Barrow natives, however, they usually 
cover Ihe body Avith stones. In the same jiassage Ur. Bessels desei ihes 
a ]ieculiar symbol of mouruiug, not employed, so far as I can learn, 
elsewhere. The male mourners plugged up the right nostril with hay 
and the females the left, and these plugs were worn for several days. 



_j^.)(] TllK I'DIXT HAKK'oW ESKIMO. 

Tlu- .•iistoin of .•oviTiii- rh.- Iiody wi.h sloiii's appears to he miiversally 
i.ivvak-nt .■ast of the .Ma.-keiizir n-ion.' 

The biHlies seen by Dr. Kiihaidsoii in the delta of the Maekeuzie 
were \viai)peil in skins and loosely covered with driftwood.^ and a sim- 
ihir ana'nseinent was nolieed at Kot/.el)iie Sound by Beeehey, who fig- 
uies' a sort of little wii:wain of driftwood built over the dead man. 
\t I'orl Clarcnre Nordenskiohl ' saw two corpses -Laid on the ground, 
lullv clothed, without protection of any cofdn, but surrounded by a 
dose fence cimsistiiiu df a nnniber of lent poles driven crosswise into the 
"■round Alongside one (if the coipses la\ a l.ii;iiik with oars, a loaded 
donblebarreh'd gun willi locks at lialfcock and caps on. various other 
weapons. ch)thes, tinder box. suowshoes. drinking-vessels. two masks, 
* ■ ' ami strangely shaped aninnil lignres." On the Sibei-iau coast 
the.h'ad aivs„nieti s burned.'' 

N<irdenskir,ld behe\e< lliat the coast Ciiukches have perhaps be- 
gun to abandon Ihi' cnstoni of bnrninu lliedcail. but I am rather in- 
clined to think Ihal is a custom of tlie ■• deeiinen." which the people of 
tlu' coast of pure „v mixed Kskimo blood never fully adopted. Dall, 
ind<MMl. was explicitly infoinied that the cnstom was only used with the 
lioibes of ••udod" imui. and at the time of Xordeuskiiild's visit he found 
it "at leastcei(aiii I liat the ]icoi)leof PitlekaJ exclusivel\- bury theirdead 
bv laying Iliemoul on the tundra." The body is surrounded by an 
oval of stones, but apparently not covered with them as in the east.^ 
The Kranse bidt hers oliserved by the bodies, beshles "die erwiihnteu 
(ierJitlischaften "■ [baiizen, liogen und I'feile fiir die Milliner, Koch- und 
llansgerathe fiii- die Weiber|. "unter eiueu kleinen Steinhaufen e.iu* 
llnnde . Itenthier . liiiicn oder Walross-Sehiidel." This custom shows a 
little Children die and are buried, they jtut the Head of a Dog near the 
curious lesemblancc to that described by Egede'' in Greenland: " When 
Grave. fan<'yiug that ( "hildren. having no Understanding, they can not 



MrRDn.M.i (iOVKKNMEXT. 427 

by tlR'inselves And till' Way, but Ihc D.i-' iimst -iiidc tlinn l,> llic l,:in(l 
of the Souls." The Ixxly is usually laid oul al lull Ini-lli upon tlic 
grouud. Amougtlieancieut Ch-ccnlaiidi'is.' howcxci'. innl in llic ^ ukmi 
region the body was doubled u]). In tljf Lit In- icgidii tlir b(id\ was laid 

ports- <ir wrapped up in mats and revered willi rocks i>v <iiitt wood. •' 

ligurcs given by tlir latter wiiti'r in I'l. \ i. nf his rcpoii. appears also 
to in-cvailatthein.iuth <d-tlM- Kuskokwini. In the island of Kadiak, 
a.-cording to Dall ami Lisiausky.' tiie dead were hnned. 

fit thr familti.— \ ean hardly do better than (luote Dr. Siiujison's 
words, already referred to (op. cit. page 252), on this subjeet: '-A nuui 
seems to have unlimited authority in his own hut." Nevertheless, his 
rule seems to be founded on respect and mutual agreement, rather than 
on despotic authority. The wife appears to be consulted, as already 
stated, on all important occasions, and, to (piote Dr. Simpson again 
(ibid.): ''Seniority gives precedence when there are several women in 
one liut, and the sway of the elder in the direction of everything con- 
nected with her duties seems never disputed." When more than (me 
family inhabit the same h(mse the head of each family appears to have 
authority over his own relati\cs, while the relations lietweeii the two 
are governed solely by mutual agreement. 

hi thr rlHnijc. — These i>eople have no established form of government 
nor any chiefs in the ordinary sense of the word, but aiipear to be 
rided by a strong public opinion, combined with a certain amount of 
res]iect for the o])inions of the elder i)eople, both men and women, and 
b\- a largt? nund)er of traditional observances like those (!oucerning the 
whale fishery, the deceased, etc., alread\ described. In the ordinary 
relations of life a person, as a, rule. a\ oids doing anything to his neigh- 
bor which he would not wish to have done to himself, and affairs 
which concern the comnninity as a whole, as for instance their relations 
with ns at the station, are settled by a general and aiiparently infoi- 
mal liiscussicni, when the opinion of the majority carries the day. The 
majority appears to have no means, short of individual violence, of en- 
forcing ol)ediencc to its decisions, but, as far as we could see, the mat- 
ter is left to the good sense of the parties concerned, llespect for the 
opinions of elders is so great that the people may be said to be practi- 
cal! v under what is called "simple elder rule."' Public opinion has 



jO,s TIIK POINT HAKKOW 1;SK1J1(). 

I„i Ululated (■.•rtaiii rules in lej^aid \» some kinds of iiroperty and tlie 
division of -an.o. wlii.i, aiv i.niui kably like those notieed among Ks- 
kiiiio .■UewlMM-e. and wliirli may lie su|>])()sed to liaA'e grown n\> among 
H,r'ai.r,-si.,isnf tile KskiiMo. liefore t heir Separation. 

l',,i- in^tanr... inCreeiilaiid.' -Anyone picking nj. ]ae<-es of driftwood 
,,r ".lods losi -li sea or on land was considered the rightful owner of 
','l,.M,',': :n,d'to' make good his possession he ha,l only to ...rry then, up 
.l.ovc hi.'h water mark and put stones upon th.-m. no matter where 
l,i> homesfad MUghl 1m-.- Now. at Point Harrow ^vr olten saw the 

M-cmed 'p!M'f.'''l'rv able to prove his .daim. Lieut. lla.N intornis me that 

On'one o,-,-asion. when he was about to hav a large pice.- of drift- 
tindier dragged up to the station, a w.unan came uj. and proved that 
the timber beh.nged to her by |M,inting out the freshly cut nmrk. I 

by setting it upon end. 

.\s far as we could learn, the smaller animals, as for instance, birds, 
the smaller seals, iciudeer. etc.. are thi' property of the. liunter, instead of 
being disided as in some ol her localities, fiu- example at Smith Sound, ^ 
The larger seals and walruses appeared to be divided among the boat's 
, rew. the (iwncrot the boat apparently keepiug the tusks of the walrus 
and |ierhaps th<' skin. .V bear, however, both flesh and skin, is equally 
divideil among all who in any way had a hand in the killing. We 
learned this with •■(■rtainty fronr having to purchase the skin of a bear 
kille<l at the village, where a number of meu had been engaged in the 
hunt. When a whale is taken, as 1 ha ve already said, the whalebone 
is eipially divided among tin- crews of all the boats in sight at the time 
of killing. .VII comers, however, have a right to all the flesh, blubber, 
and blackskin that they can cut ofl? 

1)1-. l;ink, in desiaibiug the social ord.'r of the ancient (irreenlauders,^ 
says: ■• Looking at what has been said regarding the rights of prop- 
eit\- anil the dixasion of the peojile into certain coninuinities, in connec- 
tion with the division of ]iro|)erty into I he classes Just given, we are led 
to the c(.nclusion that the right of any individual to hold more than a 
certain amount of property was. if not regulated by law, at least 
iealouslv watched bv the rest i>f the eonuuunitv. and that virtually 



i\i:i;\Mi:\|-. li".l 



II I lie 1 ici- p 

oi'ini <'(in:ililv. 



the surplus .,f niiy iiMlivi<iual <>y ((iHiiininily. i\\<;\ I, 
wliicli liadiriuu or ciistdiii IimiI Mssi-nrd. \v;is mukIi' 
liad l.'ss." At I'oint P.an-ow. lio«..vrr. llici.lr;M,r in 



lioiic hr. as already drs.-iih,.,!. .lividrd aiiioi 
al tlicdcarli." lioohjr.-tioii is made t.i one ii 

lias the aus. r,,i liisuwu piivafe use. 

This has.-iv.ai rise t,, a re-iilar weallhy a 
however, are not yet siirileieiitly tlitrereiil iat 

men of this class are the iimialiks. a word which appears in many <-or- 
rii])ted rorins on the coast of Western America and is often supposeil 
to mean •• cliief." I >r. Sim],soii ' says: - The clii.-f men are •■ailed O me 
liks (wealthy)." but •• wealthy " is an explanation of tin- jiosit ion <»ftliese 
men. ami not a translation of the title, which, as wo obtained it, is pre- 
cisely the same as tlie (uceiiiand word for i^inirr nf <i bout, iimialik 
(from uniia(/,), ;nid the terininatioii lik or li-n. This is ,me of the few 
cases in whicli the linal /,■ is sounded at I'oinf I'.arn.w as in (lieenland). 

|)r. Kink has alrea<ly observed' that the word used by Simpson '-no 
<loubl must b<- till' same as tlie ( Ireeiilamlisli umialik, si-nifyin- owner 
of a boat," and as I heard the title more than one.' carefully i.rononnced 
al i'oiiil Barrow it was the identical u ord. The umialiks. as Sinii.s.m 
says.^ •■ have ac.piired their positimi 1)\ bciii- more thrifty and intelli- 
-ent, better traders, and usually bettei' hunters, as well as physically 
.stronger and more darin,-."' TJiey have acipiired a certain amount of 
intlueiicc and respect from these reasons, as well as from their wealth, 
which enables them to imrcliase the s.^vic's of others to man their 
boats, but appear to have ai)sohitely no authority outside of their own 
families,'' retrofif^ considers them as a s(ut of ■■ middlemen w sjiokes- 
men." who unike themselves "prominent by suiierintendini;- all inter- 
course and traflii' with visitors," 

This sort of proniineni'e, however, apjicars to have been conferred 
upon them by the traders, who. i.<;noraiit of the very democratic state of 
Eskimo society, naturally look tbr •• chiefs" to deal with. They pick out 
the l>est h.okilig ami best dressed man in the viUa-e and endeavipr to 
win his favor by giving him presents, receiving liim into the cabin, and 
i'onducting all their dealings with the natives through him. The chief, 

'Op.<;it,1..272. 



<Oi..cit. 

'Compare wliat the Kriius.- I'.nillier,-) Miiy of the "chiefs 
ter. vol. 5, pt. 1, p. 2'.i) . ■' Hi.- Aulmitiit, welche die ob. 
iibell, ist wohlauf Rechniiiii; ilii . < ur e-s.ieli Besitzes zu si 
Maim, ein'hig man.' 



4;50 






Till 


■• l'"l 


INT 


1'.. 


AKK 


:.IW ESKIMO. 


thus sclcci 


.•.Lis 




iirl-aily sh 


ivw 


.!( 


m... 


1-h t.) make till- most of till' -r.-at- 


II, •,-.-. Iliiiis 


1 upoi 


II h 


iiii. a 


ml 11 




I.m 


l)t 


ofteii pvetemls to m.>r.' iiiflii.Mi.'o 


, 1,1,1 ||,,\v,.i- 


than 


hr 


actii 


ally 


p.is 


srs 


;si'S, 


.' 


As to th 


!• Slol 


•y II 


.f th. 


■ \vh; 


lli'li 


i.-li 




at 111 ■hi.'ftainsliip" is llif vf- 


w;inl ..fill 


.■ l.csl 


1 n.^ 


;hl.-i-. 


, « h. 


1 h. 


il.b 


; If 


likr a ••i-hallfiiui' .-up." stil)ii'i-t 




illcil . 


ml 


at ai 


i\- 111 


iif 




Irfi 


•11.1 liis rank in a iliiel, as tar as 


fiiucrriis 1 




r>ai 




this 


is : 


1 si 


li'i'i 


• fal)li'. pi'iliaps invented by the 


KskiiMo I( 


. iiii|>( 




1 


11 till 


■ st 


rai 


mi'i 


IS, but moiv likely the result of 








anil ; 


1 \ iv 




ma 


.^ili; 


iition .lU the jiart of the whites. 


tliaii tlic 1 


lialik 


."(1 






ap 




11- t. 


1 have iiior.^ wealth and iiiflueiice 


est. 


T.-iiMain 


la ill 


I't 


kia 




n and the late Katiga at JSTiiwuk 




ai'coi 


dii 


mill 


('apt 


ain 


II. 


Tfll 


id.'.n, to be " great ximialiks " and 


Trufi;iiir;i 


was a 




ys s] 


lok.'ii 


ml' 


as 


th.' 


fi iremost man in Utkiavwiu. We 


knew of 111 


u> |iai 


■ty 




in;- ii| 


[. fr 


Olll 


Si. 


laru with piesents for Tcuiiaura, 


ami wi'li' 


infon 




Iha 


1 th.' 


ot 


h.M 


!■ I'.skim.i nevPi- sold t.) him, but only 


i;avc liiiii 


prcs,.| 


its. 


It 


was ; 


Ills, 


is; 


ii.lt 


hat Katiga's infant son would one 


(lay he a • 
All thfs 


;.",',;;:; 


t 111 


iiiiali 


k." 


ll.'l 


I'll 


.■ap 


tains .(f whaling umiaks, and the 


title iimia 


liks a 


I'l" 


•ars 


to b. 


'. a 


ppl 


i..l 


to th.'in in this capacity, since 


many of tl . 


he i.o( 


jft'i 


■ iiiei 


1. wh 






ill- ; 


IS w.' .•oulil learu, were not con- 


siiliMvd iiiuialili 


;S. 


own 


itmiii 


iks 


Wll 


li.-h 


ihey do not tit out for whaling. 


but use (111 


]y tot 


lai 


ispor 


tth.'i 


Irfa 


imi 


li.-s 


from pla.'e to iilace in the summer. 



(lull rill /-/(((.v.— It was e\i-eeiliiigly ilillieult to get any idea of the 
relic ions belief. if the |ieopl.'. partly tV.iiii on r inability to make ourselves 
uii.leisto.i.l in reuar.l toabstia.t ideas and partly from ignorance on our 

jiartof the i)roper limd of eiiudueting siiidi imiuiries. For instance, 

in trying to g.-I at Www i.leasof a fuliir.' life, we could ouly ask "Where 
d.i.-s a man go when h.' .li.-s .'" to whi.-h we. .if .■ourse, received the 
ob\ ions answ.T. ■■To I he reiiietery ! " Moreover, such a multitude of 
otliiT and easier lines of investigation pr.'sent.'d th.'iuselves for our at- 
t.'iition that w w.-r.' iialunilly iii.-lin.-d to n.-gle.-t the diflicult fiehl of 
religion, and besid.-s uniler the .■iicunistanres of our intercourse it was 
almost impossible to get the attention of th.' natives when their minds 
w.^re not full of otlu'r subjects. 

Nevertheless, many of the fraguu'iits of superstition and tradition 
that we were able to collect agree remarkably with what has been 
oliserved among the Kskimo elsewhere, so that it is highly probable 
that their religion is of the same general character as that of the Green - 
lander^, namely, a h.-lief in a miiltifn.le of supernatural beings, who 
are to lie exorcised or propitiate.l by \ ari.nisobservauces, especially by 
the iierforniances of certain sjieeially gifted people, who are something 
of the nature of wizards. So much has beeti written by many authors 

''•' iKiivili.- .■.l„^„|■ iliL- Mk-^wA ",IiU!r»- uf ill.- . '1 1 11 k,-li,.s. i 1. Xonlenskiiilifs Voga, vol. l.iip.44» 



"••"•■'""■I KKI.KUON. 431 

alxiiit rlicsf wizanls or •■ (idcroi-s." ihr aii;;vkul of tlic.'asimi Kskitiio, 

special ivf.T.-n.'e to Ihcic wiitin.us rxc.^i)! w line 1 lic.\ lia|i|M'ii to throw 
liuiitou <mr own ohs.'ix atioiis. I>r. Siinpson snccerdnl iii olilaiiiiiiij- 



our party was able to do. ami liis ohscrx al ioiisj to which ouis arc in 
suuicdeyrcc supiilcnicntarx-. tend to corroborate t lie i-oncliision at wliich 
I have arrived. 

va.uue. We learned that many men in I1h> villa-e. .list in-nishabh' 
from the rest l)y no \isil)h> cliaract.'ristics. w cr.' able lo heal llie sick, 

procure -ood weather, lavoraldc ^^illds. phaify of -; ■. and do other 

tliin-s by ••talkin-'-'and beatin- th,' .Irnm, \V.> did nol h'ain the 
miml)er oltli.'se men in either villa.uc hut we heard ol' \ cry nian\ dit- 
ferent men doin- .me <.r tlie other of tiicM^ thin-s. wliile oth.asof our 
acquaintance never attempted them. Ncitli.-r did \v.' h-ain Dial any 
one of Ili,.se men was .-onsidered superior to Ih,. r.^st. as appears lo b.. 
thecasein some re-ioirs. nor how a mancouhl attain tliis powci-. Some 
of flics., men. wlio ai.peared to -ive paiticulai- atteliti.)n t.i.airin.u tin- 
si.'k. .-alle.l th<ans..|\-..s •■tu'kte" ( ".hMt.u" i. but. probably lor want 
ofpr.)p..r]y .lir.M-t.'d in.|uiri..s. we di.l n..t l..arn th.- Rskim.Miam.- .if 

thes.' 1 pi.-. W.' wen- .l.'linit.dy inform. -.1. Imwev.a-. that their •• talk." 

when treating .lisease .)r tryini;' t.) .ilitain fair weath.'r. .'t.-.. was a.l- 
dri'ssc.l t.i ■• tu'uha." .ir a supernatural b.'in,i;. This name, of .-.lurse, 
differs only iu dialectic form from fliat applie.l m oth.a- pla.'es 1.. the 
universal familiar spirits of Eskimo sup.astiti.m. 

We- at tirst supposed that ••tuiula '" m.'ant s.aii.- iiarii.-ular in.livi.l- 
iial demon, but Dr. Simps.in is pr.ibably ri-lit in sayin.u that th.- I'.iiiit 
Barr.)w nativ.-s. like th.- rest of th.- Kskinio. r.'c.>^niz.- a h..st .)f 
tuiinaiii, sine." ••tui;ha" was .l.-scribe.l to us uiid.-r a \'ari.'ty .if forms. 
M.isl .if th.- nafiv.-s wh.im w.- ask.-.l if tli.-\ ha.l s.-en tuia~ia. said that 
tli.-\ ha.l not. but that otii.-r men. mcnthuiin- .-.-rtaiii •• .l.i.-tors." had 
seeii him. On.- man, h.iw.-v.-r. sai.l thai h.- ha.l s.-.-ii turha in th.- 
ku.lyi-i. when th.- pcijih- •■talk.-.l" sittin.i;- in th.- .lark, with tli.-ir 
heads bowe.l and fic.-s co\ .-r.-<l. an.l tuaha .-am.- with a nois.- Iik<- a 
-reaf bird.- He ha.l rais.-.l his li.-a.l an.l saw tiiKUa. like a man with 
1,1 Ik'ss cheeks.= Tuafia a.yaiii was .-all.-.l -a ba.l man. .l.-a.l " (appar- 

'Oii. rit., ]i.273et sei). 

^ComiiiiroGraali'aaccoimtof thoi-fOTmouy uf summoningii lurngak in East tiiiMibiMil (Xanatne, 
]). 123). ••(;omc lie did, liowever, at last, anil his approach was auuimncoil by a strange rushiu- sound, 
very lik<- Ihc sound of a Inr^e Urd flying beneath the roof." (The italics are my own.) The aiujel-vt 
eviilenlly have some juggling contrivance, carefully concealed from laymen, perhaps of the nature of a 
•whizzingstiek.- 

^Compare Rink's description of the ceremony of summoning a tornak to ask bis a<lvici:', in Green- 
laud (Tabs, eti-., r- ™t- Tliis '>^-'x performed beforea rompanyin a darkenedbouse. The angekok lay 
on the lliiiir, liesidi- a suspended skin .and drum, with his hands tied behind his back and his head be- 
tween bi< le"s i -iou- w,is sini" bv the aiulienec. .and the ansckok invoked bis toniak, beating on 
„.,. „. r„„. ,!p„„, " Tl,,. solvit a'lmnuu.ed bis arrival liv a p.enliar sound and the app.-aranee of a 



432 Tin; I'OINT BAKROW ESKIMO. 



iilii use to in 


i.licntc ; 


1 hol.iioblili, 


Iniiids outst 


ictrlicd 


like claw.s. 


ith us was 11 


scd to .1 


Icsi-iuate all 


tlicir hclict; 


-liosts 


as well as 



A|(|Kiiciitl.v ••tiuiiia III coincrsalio 

faiuiliar spirits. For iiistanci'. in (Irccnland, ac( urdiiii;' to Rink,' a 
ojin-t •■nianirfsts hinisflf by wiiistliuii' or siiiiiiiis in tlic cars." Now, 
I.ii'iil. ii'a.N "as walkin.u rapidlx' one da\ in the winter witli an Eskimo 
and his wile, anil tin- woman suddenly stopjH'd and said slie " heard 
t,ii.fi;i" tliat lie made a noise like siiKjhKj in the ears. 

The people j^enerally liave a great dread of "tu-Bna," who they say 
would kill them, and arc very averse to iioing out alone in the dark. 
One of each i)arty tliat came over from the village in the evening usu- 
ally carried a drawn knife, i)referal)ly one of the large double-edged 
knives, siipiiosed to be .Siberian and already described, in his hand as 
ilcli'iise a^^aiiist tiinna, and a drawn knife was sometimes even carried 
in the dayli,i;lit '•naiiiiniiinlu tiii'.riaiiuinln," "for bear and demon." Not- 
witlistaiidiiigtlieir apparently genuine dread of "tuBna," they are by no 
means averse to talking or even joking about him. 

The knife also serves as a protection against the aurora, which most 
of tliem agree is bad, and when bright likely to kill a (lerson by strik- 
ing liim in the back of the neck. However, brandishing the knife at 
it will keep it olf. Hesides, as a woman told me one night, you can 
dii\c otf a ■hail" annua by throwing at it dog's excrement and urine. '^ 

l.ieni. Kay saw in one of the houses in Utkaiwin, a contrivance for 
frightening away a -'tuiiria" from the entrance to a house should he try 
to get in. The man had hung in the trai)door the handle of a seal-drag 
by Tncans of a t hong spiked to the wall with a large knife, and told Lieut. 
Kay that if "tuiiha" tried to get into the house he would undoubtedly 
catch hold of the handle to help himself up, which would pull down the 
knife upon his head and frighten him off. We never had an opportu- 
nity of witnessing the ceremony of summoning "tuijiia," nor did weaver 
he ir oitlie ceieiiiony taking place during our stay at the station, but 
we were loiti mate enough to observ(^ several other ]ierformaiiees. though 
the.\ do not ajipear to be freciuent. The ceremony of healing the sick 
and the ceremonies (■onnected with the whale-lishery have already been 

deseribeil. 

On the :.Mst i>t Febinary. ISS,!, Lieut, liay and Cajit. Ilereiideen hap- 
pened tn be at Ih.. village .,n time to seethe tiicfia, who had been 
<'aiisiiigtlie bad weal her. expelleil from the village. .Some of the natives 
said the next day that they had l.illnl the tunna. but they said at the 
.same time he had gone '■ a hnig way otf." When Lieut. Ray reached 



; (Tales. 



MVBDOCH.] INCANTATION. 433 

the village, women were stniidiiit; at the doors of tlie iiouses armed 

with suow-kiiivrs and cluhs with wliich they made passes o\cr II n 

trance when the iieoj)!!" inside called out. lie entered one hocse and 
found a woman vi.Li'oronsly drivin.g tlie tntina out ol' e\-ei y eoiiiei- witii 
a. knife. They tlien rejiaired to the kiidyi-i, whei-e theic were ten or 

twel\-e iieople. eaeli of wlioia, to qnote from iaent. i.'ay's note 1 k, 

"made a charge against the evil sjiirit, telling what iiiini ies llie.\ liad 
received from it." Then tlu^y went into the o])en air, where a lire liad 

been built in front of tlie eiitranc*^, and formed a iialf ciicle ar d the 

Are. Each then went u]» and made a si)eech, bending over the tire 
(accordiug to Simpson, who descril)es a similar ceremouy at Nuwuk on p. 
274 of his paper, coaxing tlie tnnna ti me under the tire to warm him- 
self). Then they brought out a large tub full of urine, to whieii. Simp- 
sou says, each man present had contributed, and iield it ready ncai' the 
tire, while two men stood with their rilles in rcadiiu'ss, and a l)oy stood 
near the tire with a large stone in his hands, liracing himself tirmly 
with his feet sjiread ajiart for a vigorous throw. Then the.\ chanted as 
follows (the words of this chant weri> ol)tained afterward by the 
writer) : 

T:ik tak tiik tolid! 

He! he! he! 

Haiyalie ! 



And instantly the contents of the tub were daslied on the fire, the 
stone thrown into the embers, and both men discharged their ritles, one 
into the embers, and one into the cloud of steam as it rose. Then all 
brushed their clothes violently and shouted, and the tuuna was killed. 
By a fortunate coincidence, the next day was the tinest we had had 
for a long time. 

Sacrifices are also occasionally made to these supernatural beings as 
ill (lieenland "gifts were offered to theinue of certain rocks, capes and 
ice firths, principally when traveling and passing those places.'" 

(Japt. Herendeen, in the fall of 1882, went to the rivers in company 
with one of the "doctors." When they arrived at the river Kuaru, 
where the latter intended to stay tor the fishing, he got out his drum and 
"talked" for a long time, and breaking oil" very small pieces of tobacco 
threw them into the air, crying out, "Tiuina, tuijua, I give you tobacco! 
give me plenty of tish." When they passed the dead men at the 
cemetery, he gave them tobacco in the same way, asking them also for 
tish.^ We noticed but few other superstitious observances which have 
not been already described. As in Greenland and elsewhere, super- 
stition requires certain persons to abstain from certain kinds of food. 
For instance, Munialu, and apparently many others, were not permitted 

' Rink, Tales, etc., i>. 56. 

» "When an Innuit p.isscs thp place where a relative has tlieil, he pauses and ileposits a pieee ofmeat 
near hy." Baffin Lauil, Hall, Artie Researches, p. 574. 
9 ETH 28 



434 TIIF, I'OINT I5AKR0W ESKIMO. 

i„ eat tlic burbot, another man was denied ptarmigan, and a woman' at 
Nuwnk was not allowed to eat "earth food," that is, anj-thing which 
o,e\v ui.on the ground. Lieut. Ray also mentions a man who was for- 
hidil.-ii bear's tie.sh.- 

We observed some traees of the sujicrstition eoneernmg the heads 
of seals and other marine animals taken in the chase, which lias been 
noticed elsewhere. Crantz saysr' "The heads of seals must not be 
Iractured. nor must they !>« thrown into the sea, but be piled in a heap 
liefore the door,' that the souls of the seals may not be enraged and 
<,are their brethren from the coast." And Capt. Tarry found that at 
Winter Island they carefully preserved the heads of all the animals 
killed during the winter, except two or three of the walrus which lie 
obtained with great difflculty. The natives told him that they were to 
be thrown into the sea in the summer, but at Iglulik they readily sold 
them before the summer arrived.'* 

I tried very hard to get a full series of skulls fr(mi the seals taken at 
I'tkiavwin in the winter of lS82-'8.3, but though I frequeutly asked the 
natives to bring them over for sale, they never did so, till at last one 
young woman promised to bring me all I wanted at the price of half a 
pound of gun|)o\vilcr a skull. Nevertheless, she brought over only two 
or three at that i)riee. We did not observe what was done with the 
skulls, but freiiuently observed quantities of the smaller bones of the 
seals carefully tucked away in the crevices of the ice at some distance 
from the .shore. We had comparatively little difficulty in obtaining 
skulls of the walrus, but I observed tliat the bottom of Tusertlru, the 
little i.ond at the edge of the villii.u.'. \v;is covered with old walrus skulls, 
as if th<-y had been deposited there for years. The superstition appears 
to be in full force among the Chukches, who live near the place where 
the Vi-f/a wintered. Nordenskjold was unable to purchase a pair of 
fresh walrus heads at the first- village he visited, though the tusks were 
olfered for .sale the next day'' and at Pitlekaj.'' " Some prejudice * * * 
lirevented tiie Chukches from parting with the heads of the seal, though 
* * * we ott'i'red a high price for them. ' Irgatti ' (to-morrow) 
was the usual answer. But the inomise was never kept." 

Amulets. — Like the Greenlanders" and other Eskimos, they place 
great reliant-eon amulets or talismans, which are carried on the person, 
in the boat, or even inserted in weapons, each apparently with some 

115, :ni<l Parry. 2.1 voya 



'Ri-pi>rtl'c.ilHl!arnnvExi)i 


•clitioii, 


p. 46. 


'Cunpar., Kink. Talos. etc.. 


.p.fi4; 


Grant/,, v 


l.- f»rl.i.l.k-u, for iMsta.K-e, in . 


)iic di.s. 


eaae, that • 


amUli.livirloothcra.' 






n-nl.l. p.21(i. 






•I!e(!Clicy8awtIn-.skull,s.,r 


».-als n 


,n<l otli.T a 


(Voyage, p. 259). 






'Stcoml Voyage, p. ill). 






'Voga, vol. 1, p, 41)5. 






»Vcga,vol.2. p. i:i7. 






'.Tohlll).-.vi»,l08rnb,»ll„-i 


C.r.'.'Ill; 


■xm\eva ill 1 



435 







specific purpose, which indeed we learned in the cum' oI ^ouw ol those 
in the collection. Likethe amnletsof the Grcenlandeis, tlie\ .ii)pi ii to 
be ' "certain animals or things which had belonged to oi be( n in contact 
with certain persons (e. g., the people of an- 
cient times, or fortunate hunters) or supernat- 
ural beings," and "objects which merely by their 
appearance recalled the effect expected from the 
amulet, such as figures of various objects." To 
the latter class belong the rudely flaked flint 
images of whales, already mentioned, and prob- 
ably many of the other small images of men 
and animals akeady described, especially those 
fitted with holes for strings to hang them up by. 
The flint whale is a very common amulet, in- 
tended, as we understood, to give good luck in 
whaling, and is worn habitually b> many of 
the men and boys under the clothes, susi)endcd 
around the neck by a string. The captain and 
harpooner of a whaling crew also wear them 
as pendants on the fillets already described, '"'"' 4.1 -\\iiii luu^i n m 
and on the breast of the jacket. We obtained 

five of these objects, all of very nearly the same shape, but of differ 
cut materials and varying somewhat in size. Fig. 421 represents one 
of these (No. 5()7()3 [SOS] from Utkiavwin) made of a piece of hard 
colorless glass, probaldy a fragment of a ship's " deadhght." It is rather 
roughly flaked into a figure of a "bowhead" whale, 3-4 inches long, as 
seen from above and very much flattened with exaggerated flukes. 
The flippers were rudely indicated in the outline, but the left one is 
broken off'. 

n I from Utkiavwin is a, very sinular image, 2-4 inches 

•haps is of the same material, though it may be made of 

rock crystal. No. odTOT [159] from 

rtkiiivwin is a very small whale (1-4 

iiirlics long), chipped in large flakes 

out of a water-worn pebble of smoky 

cpuirtz, while No. 80577 [9.30] Fig. 

422, from the same village, which is 

a trifle larger (2 inches long), is made 

of dark crimson jasper. The large 

,e.l jasper. y^jj^^.j, g-^^ ^j^halc, No. 5C(i83 [Gl], 

which is 3-0 inches long, is the rudest of all the 

It is precisely the shape of the blade of a skin 

scraper, except for the roughly indicated flukes. 

Fig. 423 (No. 89.524 [1209] from Utkiavwiii) is a rude wooden image 
of the same aninuil, 3.J inches long, very broad and flat-bellied. 



No. so(;i3 [7: 

long, wliich pel 




also fi-om Utkiavwin, 
figures of the whales. 



It is 



436 



THE POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 



■lit, 



)t' sky-bhie glass iulaicl to repre- 
(if iron pyrites for the right. The flukes 
and fastened on with a lashing of narrow 
a vertical hole in the '■small" and round 
• rtukes themselves have been split across 
doweled together. This shows that the 



'Pr 



smoothly I'arved and lias a 
sent tiie left eye and a Lit 
have been split wholly "If 
wludelione passin.u thnm;;h 
theed-eoftlu' Hnk.-s. Tli 
and appear to liave been 
owner attaehed eon.siderable value to the object, or he would not have 
taken the trouble to meiul it when another could have been so easily 
whittled out. In the middle of the belly is an oWoug cavity, contain- 
ing something whicli i)robably adds greater power to the charm. What 
this is can not be seen, as a band of sealskin with the hair shaved off 
has been sln-unk on round the hinder half of the body and secured by a 
seam on the right side A double turn of sinew braid is knotted 

round the middle of 
the body, leaving 
two ends which are 
fied together iu a 
loo J), showing that 
this object was 
meant to beattached 
somewhere about 
tlu^ person. 

To this class also 
pi obably belong the 
1, u MMiUi ..rw.,„.i skins or pieces of 

animals worn as am- 
cw (if olitainiii.u tlic [lowers of the particular 
SOS in the stories relatecl iu Kink's Tales and 
illv saw men wcaiinj; at the belt bunches of 
<n-' wolveniie. or the niefacariial b,mes of the 
: of the .mill ov raven • is also a common jiersonal 
re a small dried lloiimler.' 
r of these animal amulets to lie worn on tlie 

o7|. troni rtkiaxwin, which was saiil to be 
ck ill deer linnting. It is a young unbranched 
(lies loni;. and apparently separated from the 
the "velvet" skin still adhering, though most 
ceept at the fi]). A bit of sinew is tied round 

Htkiavwin, is an amulet consisting of the last 

vi-riii..- worn :is amulets at Fury aud Hecla's Strait (second voyage, 

old liy Kink (Tal(!9, etc., ii. 195), when the man who has a gull for 
s(a b(!causo the gull s(H-ks his prey far out at sea, whUe the one 
•camo this bird S(«>k3 his prey landward. Such an amuhst as the 







Tradi 
tlie c 
wolf.' 



tl. 


(•ill. 


Xo. 


s'.ir. 


•■'.2 li: 


lei 


led t( 




i,.i,.. 


Odd li 


ill 


at II 


le •• 


IHtlM 

liiir, 


"■ will 


lie 


Je!"' 


is' 


u-oii 


1 olf e 


V'o. 


SiWU 


12 [1 




I, froii 



MURDor,,.! AMUI.KT.'i. -1.37 

tliiccJ(.iiits(,rtlM' f(»it <.r :i iciii.lcor f;i\vn, wiMi tlic skin :iimI lioiifand 
al.iiut 1.^ inclirs nf rcndc.n aUarhcd l.rliin.l, tlm.ii-li a hole in liic end 
(if wlii.-li is knotted al.dut.'.iiiclics of sral tlnui.';. No. S'.ir.L':. [ I.'.M [ from 
the same villa-c, is a piccisely similar cliaini. No. SIKi'.M) |77<.»| from 

Utkavwin, is th<' suhfossi! in.-isor tooth of s c inminanf witli a liolc 

drilled tlirou.uh the root for a sfrin- to han- it np by. It was sai<l to 
be tlie tooth of the " UK'iu'nh," a lar-e animal, Ion- exlin.-t. As the 
natives said, '• Lleic on the land aiciioue, only the hones remain." No. 
S!»74;t fllKI), from Utkiavwin, is a molar tooth of the same animal, 

l)n)bal)ly, weathered and old, with ;i hole freshly drilled thron.ul e 

root and a lou.n' pieee of sinew braid with the cikIs knotted to-vtlier 
looped into It. There are also in the eolleetiou two very old teeth 
which probably were inclosed in little sacks of skin and worn as ainii 
lets. 

No. 80GIIS I loSO], from rtkiavwln, is the tnsk of a very young walrus, 
only 2.^ iueh.'s long, and No. .S'.)4:>1.' 1 1 14S| from Ktkiavwln, is the canine 
tooth of a polar bear. No. otioiT |(i5(i), from the same village, is a simi- 
lar tooth.' 

The only amulet attached to a weapon, which we collected, is the 
tern's bill, already alluded to, placed under the whalebone lashing on 
the seal-spear. No. 8!)!tl(l [l(ii)4J. Perhaps the idea of this charm is that 
the spear should plunge down ujioo the seal with as sure an aim as the 
tern does upon its prey.- 

A number of amulets of this ehiss are always carried in the whaling 
umiak. 1 have already mentioned the wolf-skulls, stuffed ravens ami 
eagles, foxtails'' and bunches of feathers used for this purpose. Most 
of these charms are parts of some rapacious animal or bird, Imt i)arts 
of other animals seem to have some virtue ou these occasions. 

For instance, I noticed the axis vertebra, of a seal in one whaling- 
umiak, and we coUeeted a rudely stuffed skin of a godwit (Limosa 
lapponica baueri), which, we were informed, was "for whales." This 
specimen (No. SOniifi fb^S], Fig. 424. from ITtkiavwin) is soiled and 
ragged, and has a stick thrust through the neck to hold it out. The 
neck is wrapped anmnd with a narrow striji of whalebone and some 
coarse thread, part of which smves to lash on a slip of wood, apparently 
to splice the stick inside. .V bit of white man's string is passed around 
the body and tied in a loop to hang it up by. This charm is perhaps 
to keep the boat from capsizing, since Crantz says that the Greenlanders 
"like to fasten to their ka;jak a model of it * * * or only a dead 

ic.iiii.ai. Kiiuilii II r,,iitiil.iili(.iis, p. 45. "Another charm of great value to the mother who has a 
y,„,i,M iiili, ,,ili, ,11111.1 i.iuih 1. 1 thu polar hear. This is useil a.s a kind of clasp to a seal-skin string, 
^l,;,!"^ |,,,„ , ihI iIh l,,,ily iiiiil keeps the breasts up. Her milk supply cannot fail while she wears 

.., ^.|,, ii,, 1,1 ,1, Kink s Tiili-s and Traditions (p. 445), whore the k.aiak, which had a piece of 

all,, I, I, ,; . ;,,! n ,i ,, I,, 111, .1„,„ lui- an amulet, went faster than the sheldrake flies. 

3,'„„,|,,,,., ( , ,„i. ..il 1, |i, ■nc. "The boat | for whaling] must have a fox's he.ad in front, and the 

the tern's bill ou tho seal harpoon, from Point Barrow, already referred to. 



438 



THE PniXT BARROW ESKIMO. 



sparniw or siiiipc. «v a hit 


of 


they may not o\ .iscl" ,vol 


.l.p 


animal, like tlic seal, is to 


prot. 


hoat upset, aftci- all. 




Xo. s!).">i.".t |ii."i(»i ivoiii rt 


kiav 


III thi'lioat. 11 consists of 


nine 


tied ill a hunch uitli a bit ( 


pf sii 


(m.- end of tl.c short hit . 


(f se; 


himdli- toj;ctlicr. one of w 


hii'li 


fciitlK'r stained with red 


oche 


wiappeil lip in a piece of 


eiiti 


sinew hiai<l. 




No. S!l,-c'7-S |i;5l.'7] from 


LTtl. 


<;oo(l success in deerhuiitii 


1- if 


ill wliich the family is eiic 


amp 


skins of the hlack hellied 


l.lov 



vood. stone, some featliers or hair, that 
I'lii), and i)erliap.s tlie bone of a marine 
ct Mie crew from dro\viiinji- sliotild the 

.vin is a hunch of feathers to he carried 
wiiiK feathers of the .uoldeii ea^i;le, four 
ew round the quills, four tieil uj) with 
1 thon.u which serves to tie the whole 
has all the light-colored parts of the 
•, and a single feather shaft carefully 
lil and wonnd spirally with a piece of 

iavwih is the charm whi(!li will secure 
t is Inuif;' n\> outside of the snow house 
■d. It consists of two roughly stuifed 
•r (Charadriiis squatarola), each with a 




lid su]i]>orts the neck and the 
til sinew. One has uo head. 
is tied around the hody of each, so as to leave 
w liich is fastened a little cross piece of bone, by 
to a becket. Like the rest of the amulets in 
idently seen service, being very old, worn, and 



i-ts. n; 

add ai)i)arently c 

by a number of 

using snch things as amulets, w 

the i)reservation of most of the a 

other implements, especially th 



ts which have belonged to or 

n- sujperiiatural beings, or I may 

I'rtain localities, 

specimens. To the custom of 

undoubtedly 

)onsand 
made of wood, 



irpoon 
ittaclu 
12,-), >" 



■•"•'• bone, or other perishable substances, like the an- 
heads already described, one of which, No. 89544 [1419], 
d to th(^ belt on whieli it was worn. 
.■((iOUcS [30S], from Utkiavwiu is one of the ancient black 



SITTRDOCH.] 



^s, slmisi- 



AMT^ 


LETS. 


til tl. 


im,i;:lll 


. w 


." (lid 


• .-ell, 


■(•rin.u- 



439 



(1 wl 



iii.ua U' 



•lit 




.jadeadzfs r.-l 

by wliicli ir can be liuii.u- up. 

ainiilct, wliicli at tlif tiiiii- ot .■ciicctin.u- it was si 

sinker. There would, however, be no reason for nsini; so valuable an 

object for such a purpose, wlien a <'oniiiion beach jiebble would do just 

as well, unless it was intended as a ehariu to insurt' success in fishing-. 

It may even have been carried as a charm on the person, since we 

afterwards saw a still more btdky object used for such a purpose. 

Siicli ail object seems rather heavy to be carried on the ]ierson, but 
a well knowu man in Utkiavwln always carried witii 
sealing a large pear-shaped stone, which must 
have weighed upwards of two pounds, suspended 
somewhere about his person. It is not unlikely 
that thi.s stoue acquired its virtue as an amulet 
fiom liaviug been a sinker used bj' some lucky 
fisherman in former time or iu a distant coun- 
try. Mr. H. AV. ITeushaw has already- referred ti • 
the resemblance of this amulet to the plummet- FiQ.42c.-Liitici».x,niitaiiiing 
like "medicine stones" of some of our Indians.' 

Fig. -i20, (No. .S95;}4 [130(5] from Utkiavwiii) is an amulet for success 
iu whaling. It cousists of three little irregular water-worn fragments 
of amber carefully wra])i>ed in a bit of ])archment and inclosed iu a lit- 
tle wooden box U inches long, made of two semicyliudrical bits of cot- 
touwood, with the flat faces hollowed out and iiut together and fas- 
tened up by three turns of sinew braid round the middle, tied in a loose 
knot. The box is old and brown from age and handliug. We heard 
of other pieces of amber and earth ("niiua") worn as amulets, wrajijied 
up in bits of leather and hung ou the belt. 

No. 80o3.S [1247], from Utkiavwifi, is siinjily a nearly scjuare peb- 
ble, 1-4 inches long, of dark red jasper, slung in a bit of siuew^ braid 
so that it can be hung on the belt. Fig. 427 
(Xo. S0.')25 [1308] firom Utkiavwln) is some small 
oiiject. i)laced ill the center of the grain side of a 
siiuaie l)it of white sealskin, the edges of which 
are folded up around it and tied tightly round 
with <leer sinew, so as to make a little round 
knob. I collected this amulet, and was partieu- 
^jt>ir\.^ larly informed how it was to be used. If it be 
• y tautened on the right shoulder it will insure suc- 

^^ cess in taking ducks with the "bolas." Fig. 428 

("^"' ■^^^♦^^ [1-^^] from Utkiavwiii) is an amulet 
whose history we did not learn. It is a little ob- 
long box 3-3 inches long, carved from a block of cottonwood. with a 
tlat cover tied on with nine turns of sinew braid, and contains twenty- 
one dried humble-bees, which it was said came from the river Kulu- 




FlO. 427.— A t 



' Americau Journal of ArcliEeology, vol. 




140 TlIK POINT BARRDW ESKIMO. 

;icat ilii'iid, ii|)pareutly superstitious, of 

(lilies ((Kstciis taraudi), one of whicli I 

II ]ic()])]('. A liiail one (lay cau.ulit oiic of 

these, and wliitlled out a little 

__^ box of wood,in wiiicli lie slmt 

the insect u]i and tied it up 

J with a shred of sinew. t(^lling 

"j ('apt. Herendeen that it was 

I ••tunriauum," for "tutula." 

'fttit )fij'"i'i =J ^ small lump of iudurated 

,^«;.i.ii-. :.=^w- -^- ^^_^^^^^j ^^^_ ^^ ^273] was 

i'i„. ris.-i;..N.ir,iniii i..i>-.iriiiik=t. ,„n, ,|^y brought over from 

nUiavwin. with the story that it was a " medicme" for driviug away 
the ice. The mail who uses this cliarui stands on tlie high bank at the 
villauc aii(Miicakiiiu tilf .U'idiis of the gravel thi'ows tlieni seaward. 
This will cause the ice to move otf from the shore. 

The essential identity of the amulets of the Point Barrow natives 
with those used by the Eskimo elsewhere is shown by tlie following 
jiassages iVdiii oi liei writers. Egede says:' 

\ Sii|.,i>iili..n \.r\ rniiiiiinii aiiioiij; tlieiii is to load tli.-iiisclvcs witli Amulets or 
l',.,i.aiHl.i.. ,l:,imlinu al.niit tli.il Necks and Anns, wlii.li nmsist in s„iiu- I'ieees nf 
„M \V,„„1. Stones „r I'.uiMs. liills and Claws nf liinls. ,,v Aiiytliiii" else which tlieir 



tied iciiihI 11m ir loidicad, lucasl, ..r arm. 

rarr\ speaks ' (it what he su]>poses were anuilets at Iglulik, consist- 
ing of teeth of Ilie fox. wolf, aud musk-ox, hones of the "kablegarioo" 
(sujijiosed 1(1 be the wolverine), and foxes' noses. Kumlien says ^ that 
at CumberlaiKi (iulf. •■among the many superstitious notions, the wear- 
ing of charms about the person is one of the most curious. These are 
called «»(/(»-«/. iti- inniix'ii.MMX may be nothing but pieces of bone or 
wood, birds' bills or claws, or an animal's teeth or skin." A little 
girl "had a small envelope of sealskin that was worn on the T)ack other 
inside jacket '' containing two small stones. 

Sucli little ])ockets of skin sewed to the inner jacket are very com- 
mon at Point Barrow, but we did not succeed in any case in learning 
their contents. At Kotzebne Sound, Beechey saw ravens' skins on 
which the natives set a high value, while the beaks and claws of these 
birds were attached to their belts and headbands.^ Petitot describes^ 
tlu- amulets n.sed in tlu; Mackenzie district, in thepassage already quoted, 
as "defrocpies empaillees de eorbeau, de faucon ou d'hermine." It is 

'Cni-iilaiiil. p. l;i-l. « Contributions, p. 45. 

» Hiali.ry ot (iicfTilaiid. vol. 1, p. 216. 'Voyage, p. 333. 

^Sccoiiil voyage, p. 497. i^Monographie, etc., p. xr. 



AMT'LETS. 441 

not likely that the use of tliese is contiiicd to the woiiicn, as his words, 
•'Elk'syiK)iteiit,''woiihl seem to imply. Among the sedentary ('hukches 
ot'Sil)eria amulets were seen eonsisting of wooden forks and wood or ivory 
carvings.' A wolf's skull, hung up by a thong; the skin, together with the 
whole eartilaginous portion of a wolf 's nose, and a tia t stone, are also men- 
tioned.^ Capt. Holm also found wonderfully simihir enstoms among 
the East Greenlanders. He says,' "b»re alle Folk Amulet teraf de 
mest forskjelligartede Ting" to guard against sickness and to insure 
long life, and also for si)eeitie purposes. The men wear tiu'iii slung 
round the neclc or tied round tlie upper arm, the women in their knot 
of hair or "i Snippen foran paa Pelsen." 

I Nordenskiokl, Teca, vol. 2, p. 126. 

^Vi'ga, vnl. 1, p. 5o:i. 

^GfOLTaask Tidakrilt, vol. S. p. 9J. 










■^ "-^^ 



^jr^:- "^,/ .^-^^ri,'. % 



^^ ^.^' 4^^./^. ^"-^^ 



v* _^^' o^^ _^o'=^ .'e'i'- ''"^ "^"^ '' 



rx :.^: ,-.. •.M>-- 



» «> ^^. °o'' 



<> ^-r..^ ,0' 



° .^./??^/ °o > •'■Jr\\'' -P fO '•^>';' "^o 









■U' 

^i' 






^^ \w^ ^/ ^ ^'l^ ^^ 



^ '^^ :fsi -^.^ ;:^^ %-/ :»K^ % 









^ ''k:^%'. '% 












y s^' 






^Y^ .^^ ^v 



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^r- 



i^ . ^ X ^ 



( 















■i^-'v.^ '%>,s^^ /' X ■'^ '<-^x '''"'^"" 



■-X/- X.--.X 'XoX .X'. X.^^;^vX /.• - ■ 



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